Following are some of the major events to have occurred on May 14:
1948 – The state of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, eight hours before the British mandate in Palestine was to end.
1955 – The Warsaw Pact was signed by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
1987 – The American film actress Rita Hayworth died. She was best known for her roles in “Blood and Sand” and “Gilda”.
1989 – Tens of thousands demonstrated for democratic reforms in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on the eve of a visit to China by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1998 – The American singer and entertainer Frank Sinatra died.
2001 – Silvio Berlusconi won a general election at the head of a centre-right alliance that formed Italy’s 59th government since 1945.
2003 – Algerian armed forces freed 17 European tourists who had been kidnapped by outlawed Islamist militants and held for two months in the Sahara Desert.
2004 – The South Korean Constitutional Court reinstated President Roh Moo-hyun by overturning parliament’s vote to impeach him.
2005 – Former European Union trade chief Pascal Lamy was proclaimed the next head of the World Trade Organisation after his only remaining rival pulled out.
2006 – Idriss Deby was declared winner of Chad’s presidential election, securing a third five-year term.
2011 – Manchester United crowned champions of England for record 19th time.
