February 14th Anniversaries

Santo Domingo.- The ephemeris of the 14th of February, are marked by important historical events and international celebrations that left their mark on world history.

• Valentine's Day or St. Valentine's Day.
• World Congenital Heart Defects Day.
• European Sexual Health Day.
• World Energy Day.

Saint's Day: Saints Valentine, Cyril, Leucadius, and Methodius.

National: February 14th Anniversaries

• 1553: The Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo orders that the governor of Cuba officially reside in Havana, instead of Santiago de Cuba.
• 1844: José Alejandro Llenas Julia, who analyzed the invasions of the country by Toussaint Louverture and Dessalines, is born in Santiago de los Caballeros.
• 1857: Haitian Emperor Faustino Soulouque agrees to cease hostilities against Santo Domingo for a year, except in the case of foreign intervention.
• 1930: President Horacio Vásquez issues decrees to allow the installation of telegraph, telephone, and radiotelegraph services in the country.
• 1948: Law 1642 comes into effect, which declares important holidays in Dominican history, establishing the obligation to place the national flag on homes.
• 1962: The Dominican Federation of Christian Agrarian Leagues (FEDELAC) is founded.
• 1966: The nuncio of His Holiness in the country, Mons. Enmanuelle Clarizio, is offended by military personnel. That same day, gas stations in the capital suspended their activities due to attacks by civilians.
• 1973: The evening newspaper La Noticia is founded, although its circulation is prevented until March.
• 1974: The father of former President Francisco Caamaño Deñó requests the return of his son's remains from the government.
• 1986: Joaquín Balaguer and Juan Bosch meet to formalize a movement to support the Central Electoral Board.
• 2000: Hamlet Hermann and Claudio Caamaño complete the restoration of the Blackjack sailboat, used in the 1972 guerrilla warfare.
• 2001: Personalities and entities reject the construction of a sports complex in the Mirador del Este Park.
• 2014: Bishop Emeritus Francisco José Arnaiz passed away in Santiago.
• 2017: Communicators Leo Martínez and Luis Manuel Medina are murdered in San Pedro de Macorís in the FM 103 booth.
• 2018: Wilton Guerrero apologizes to Hipólito Mejía after a defamation lawsuit. That same day, Frenchman Christophe Rene Henri Naudin is sent to France after his conviction for the escape of pilots linked to drug trafficking.
• 2019: The Minister of Defense denies accusations that the U.S. used the San Isidro base to prepare an invasion of Venezuela.
• 2020: Gilberto Ventura Ceballos, sentenced to 50 years in prison, publishes the book El lente de la verdad (The Lens of Truth), where he reveals details about his crimes.
• 2022: The Superintendency of Banks begins the process of dissolving Banco Múltiple de Las Américas (Bancamérica). That same day, authorities begin vaccination against COVID-19 in children aged 5 to 11 years.

International: February 14th Anniversaries

• 1004: Henry II is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
• 1536: Hernando Pizarro's troops kill numerous indigenous people in Cuzco.
• 1542: Founding of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
• 1766: English economist Thomas Robert Malthus is born.
• 1886: First canonical coronation of Our Lady of Hope in Mexico.
• 1910: 50,000 people protest in Berlin for a fair electoral system.
• 1916: Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar.
• 1930: The Catholic movement Opus Dei adopts its official name.
• 1939: The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" takes place in Chicago.
• 1945: Allied bombing razes the city of Dresden, Germany.
• 1946: The first multi-purpose digital computer is presented in the USA.
• 1958: Feisal is appointed head of state of the Arab Federation (Jordan and Iraq).
• 1969: Peruvian torpedo boats attack US tuna boats near their coast.
• 1989: Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his book The Satanic Verses.
• 1996: The etarra Jon Bienzobas assassinates Francisco Tomás y Valiente in Madrid.
• 2003: Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animal, dies.
• 2005: Car bomb attack kills former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
• 2012: A fire in a Honduran prison kills 358 inmates.
• 2013: Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
• 2014: Car bomb attack in Syria leaves 48 dead. That same day, Belgium approves euthanasia for minors with parental consent.
• 2015: Pope Francis consecrates 20 new cardinals.
• 2016: Haiti appoints an interim president after a political crisis.
• 2018: Nikolas Cruz murders 17 people at a school in Florida, USA. That same day, Prince Henrik of Denmark died.
• 2019: Haitian President Jovenel Moïse calls for dialogue after eight days of protests.
• 2020: Iranian President Hasan Rouhani rejects negotiations with the US under pressure.
• 2021: Former Argentine President Carlos Menem dies at age 90.
• 2022: Leaked documents in Argentina reveal plans by the Macri government to support a possible invasion of Venezuela. That same day, the US moved its embassy in Ukraine from Kyiv to Lviv for fear of a Russian invasion.

Births: February 14th Anniversaries

• 1766: Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and philosopher.
• 1943: Sergio Méndez, Salvadoran soccer player.
• 1967: Mark Rutte, Dutch politician and professor, Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 2010 and 2024 and Secretary General of NATO since 2024.
• 1994: Becky Hill, English singer and songwriter.

Deaths: February 14th Anniversaries

• 2003: Dolly, first cloned sheep.
• 2014: Monsignor Francisco José Arnaiz, bishop emeritus of Santo Domingo.
• 2018: Prince Henrik of Denmark.
• 2021: Carlos Menem, former president of Argentina.