Timeline December 2014

Events in December 2014 17

• 1910 – 2014 Luise Rainer (1910-2014) German-born actress, the first to win two consecutive Oscars, who lived to 104.
• 1944 – 2014 Joe Cocker (1944-2014) Died 22 December 2014, aged 70 Joe Cocker, the English singer known for his raspy voice and cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock, died in Colorado. He had a string of hits over a five-decade career, including the Grammy-winning duet "Up Where We Belong." His performing style was widely imitated and celebrated.
• 2012 – 2014 Memory Engrams and Optogenetics His lab at MIT's Picower Institute made landmark discoveries using optogenetics — controlling neurons with light — to identify and manipulate specific memory cells (engrams) in mouse brains. In 2013, his team created a false memory in a mouse, demonstrating for the first time that memories could be artificially implanted.
• 2012 – 2014 The Hobbit trilogy -- return to Middle-earth Peter Jackson returns to Middle-earth with a three-film adaptation of The Hobbit (2012-2014): An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies. The production is troubled: Guillermo del Toro was originally set to direct but withdrew after two years of pre-production delays caused by MGM's bankruptcy. The Hobbit trilogy is shot at 48 frames per second (double the standard 24fps) -- a controversial choice that many viewers find disconcerting. The three films gross $2.93 billion combined but are generally considered inferior to the LOTR trilogy, suffering from bloated running times and excessive CGI.
• 2014 2014: Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Hamilton won his second title and first with Mercedes in the new turbo-hybrid era, beating teammate Nico Rosberg in a fierce intra-team battle.
• 2014 A Hard Day Starred in the crime comedy A Hard Day, playing a corrupt detective in an increasingly absurd cover-up. The film was a critical and commercial hit in South Korea.
• 2014 World Order Published World Order, a major work examining the nature of international order and the challenges of the 21st century, at the age of 91.
• 2014 West African Ebola epidemic Deadliest Ebola outbreak in history declared an international emergency An Ebola virus outbreak centered on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone became the largest and deadliest in history, ultimately killing over 11,000 people. The World Health Organization declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 8 August 2014. The crisis prompted a major international medical relief effort.
• 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Mass pro-democracy protests occupy the city center Protesters occupied major thoroughfares in Hong Kong for weeks, demanding open nominations for the territory's chief executive election. The movement took its name from umbrellas used to block police pepper spray. Police eventually cleared the last protest sites in mid-December without the demands being met.
• 2014 Toyota Mirai — hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Toyota launches the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in December 2014 — the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell car available to consumers. The Mirai generates electricity from hydrogen fuel through a chemical reaction, emitting only water vapour. Toyota patents its hydrogen fuel cell technology widely and licenses it freely to competitors, betting that hydrogen will play a major role in decarbonising transport. The Mirai is expensive (approximately $57,000) and limited by hydrogen filling station infrastructure, but it demonstrates Toyota's belief in hydrogen as a long-term solution.
• 2014 Al Green receives the Kennedy Center Honors Honours Honoured for his contribution to American culture.
• 2014 Daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko born Panettiere and Klitschko welcomed daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko in Hawaii on 9 December 2014. Panettiere later described experiencing severe postpartum depression following the birth, which she initially tried to hide from those around her.
• 2014 Sydney Lindt Cafe siege Lone gunman holds hostages in central Sydney A gunman claiming allegiance to Islamic State held hostages inside a Lindt chocolate cafe in Sydney's central business district for over 16 hours. Police stormed the cafe after the gunman began shooting, and two hostages were killed along with the gunman. The siege prompted debate in Australia over counter-terrorism and mental health policy.
• 2014 Peshawar school massacre Taliban gunmen kill over 140 at an army-run school Pakistani Taliban militants stormed an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 149 people, most of them children. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan's history. The massacre prompted Pakistan to end a moratorium on the death penalty and launch a renewed military crackdown on militants.
• 2014 United States and Cuba announce restoration of relations Obama and Castro end decades of Cold War-era estrangement US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro simultaneously announced that their countries would move to normalize diplomatic relations after more than five decades of hostility. The announcement followed a prisoner exchange and secret negotiations brokered partly by the Vatican. It led to the reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana the following year.
• 2014 Marries David Furnish 21 December 2014 Elton John and David Furnish converted their civil partnership into a marriage on 21 December 2014 — exactly nine years after their civil partnership — once same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales. The ceremony was held at their Windsor estate, attended by friends including Ed Sheeran and David and Victoria Beckham.
• 2014 Luise Rainer dies in London Luise Rainer dies aged 104.