1918 108 years ago Historical Events May 14 2 sources

Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, inaugurates the Two-minute silence.

On May 14, in the year 1918, Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, inaugurates the Two-minute silence. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of May 14, a notable event in this corner of history.

Sir Harry Hands was a British colonial politician, who served from 1915 to 1918 as mayor of Cape Town, South Africa. He is credited with instituting the first practice in the world of an official two-minute silence to honour loss of life in conflict, following the death of his eldest son Reginald Hands in World War I, at the suggestion of councillor Robert Rutherford Brydone.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 14, 1918 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 19 April 2026.

On This Date in History

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 May 14 Don Perlin, American comic book artist, writer, and editor (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 14 Netiporn Sanesangkhom, Thai political activist (born 1995)
Notable Deaths 2023 May 14 Doyle Brunson, American poker player (born 1933)
Historical Events 2022 May 14 Ten people are killed in a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York
Historical Events 2021 May 14 China successfully lands Zhurong, the country's first Mars rover
Notable Deaths 2019 May 14 Tim Conway, American actor, writer, and comedian (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2019 May 14 Grumpy Cat, American cat and internet meme celebrity (born 2012)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 14 Tom Wolfe, American author (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2017 May 14 Powers Boothe, American actor (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2016 May 14 Darwyn Cooke, American comic book writer and artist (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 14 B
Notable Deaths 2015 May 14 Micheál O'Brien, Irish footballer and hurler (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 14 Stanton J
Notable Deaths 2015 May 14 Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 14 Jeffrey Kruger, English-American businessman (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 14 Emanuel Raymond Lewis, American librarian and author (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 14 Morvin Simon, New Zealand historian, composer, and conductor (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 14 Wayne Brown, American accountant and politician, 14th Mayor of Mesa (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 14 Arsen Chilingaryan, Armenian footballer and manager (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 14 Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian author and activist (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 14 Ray Guy, Canadian journalist (born 1939)
Historical Events 2012 May 14 Agni Air Flight CHT crashes in Nepal after a failed go-around, killing 15 people
Notable Deaths 2012 May 14 Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and screenwriter (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 14 Mario Trejo, Argentinian poet, playwright, and journalist (born 1926)
Historical Events 2010 May 14 Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Ras
Notable Deaths 2010 May 14 Frank J
Notable Deaths 2010 May 14 Norman Hand, American football player (born 1972)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 14 Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean soldier and politician, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (born 1918)
Selected Events 2010 May 14 British politician Stephen Timms survived a murder attempt by an Islamic extremist during a constituency surgery
Historical Events 2008 May 14 Battle of Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre between Zenit supporters and Rangers supporters and the Greater M
Selected Events 2008 May 14 On the day of the UEFA Cup Final, violence erupted between football hooligan supporters of both teams and the Greater Ma
Notable Deaths 2007 May 14 Mary Scheier, American sculptor and educator (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 14 Ülo Jõgi, Estonian historian and author (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 14 Lew Anderson, American actor and saxophonist (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 14 Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (born 1905)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 14 Eva Norvind, Mexican actress, director, and producer (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 14 Jimmy Martin, American musician (born 1927)
Historical Events 2004 May 14 The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun
Historical Events 2004 May 14 Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson are married at Copenhagen Cathedral
Historical Events 2004 May 14 Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport
Notable Deaths 2004 May 14 Anna Lee, English-American actress (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2003 May 14 Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2003 May 14 Wendy Hiller, English actress (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2003 May 14 Robert Stack, American actor and producer (born 1919)
Notable Births 2002 May 14 Zach Edey, Canadian basketball player
Notable Births 2001 May 14 Jack Hughes, American hockey player
Notable Deaths 2001 May 14 Paul Bénichou, French writer, intellectual, critic, and literary historian (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2001 May 14 Gil Langley, Australian cricketer, footballer, and politician (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2000 May 14 Keizō Obuchi, Japanese politician, 84th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 1998 May 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and environmentalist (born 1890)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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