Happy Birthday October 14

James II of England and VII of Scotland was born at St. James's Palace in London on October 14, 1633. He was the second surviving son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France. The last Catholic monarch of England and Scotland, James' reign from 1685-1688 is now remembered primarily for struggles over religious tolerance. His attempted arbitrary rule and favor of Catholics led Whig and Tory leaders plot the overthrow of the king and invite his daughter Mary and her Dutch Protestant husband William of Orange to invade England. 

William Penn was born on October 14, 1644 at at Tower Hill, London. He was the son of English Admiral Sir William Penn (1621-1670). In 1681 he obtained a grant of land in America, in settlement of a debt owed by the king to his father, on which he established the colony of Pennsylvania as a refuge for the persecuted Quakers.

William Penn at 22

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, on October 14, 1890, the third of seven boys. As a child, he was involved in an accident that cost his younger brother an eye; he later referred to this as an experience teaching him the need to be protective of those under him. A five-star general in the Army and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, Eisenhower served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

For more October 14th anniversaries, including the shooting of the earliest surviving motion picture, the publication of Winnie-The-Pooh, and the first pilot to fly faster than sound, check out OnThatDay.