Interesting Facts of September 14th
- Francis Scott Key wrote the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" on September 14, 1814, which would later be set to music and become the United States national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
- U.S. President William McKinley died on September 14, 1901, after being shot by an anarchist eight days earlier. He was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
- On September 14, 1959, the Soviet space probe Luna 2 crashed onto the Moon's surface, becoming the first human-made object to reach it.
- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed on September 14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
- On September 14, 2003, Estonia approved joining the European Union in a referendum, signaling the shift of much of the former Soviet bloc towards the West.