622: Muslim Era begins – Muhammad begins flight from Mecca to Medina (Hijra) 1519: Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope 1809: La Paz, Bolivia declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the […]
1099: City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade 1381: John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England 1410: Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło […]
1789: Bastille Day – the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day) 1798: US Sedition Act prohibits “false, scandalous & malicious” writing against government 1850: 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie 1933: All non-Nazi parties are banned in Germany 1941: 6,000 Lithuanian Jews are […]
1772: Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard the Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent) 1832: Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft 1943: Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia’s defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 lost by Germany 1966: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami […]
1679: Britain’s King Charles II ratifies Habeas Corpus Act allowing prisoners right to be imprisoned to be examined by a court 1690: Battle of Boyne: in Ireland, Protestant King William III defeats English Catholic King James II 1790: French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic Church in France under the control of the state 1804: Former United […]
1405: Chinese fleet commander Zheng He sets sail on his first major expedition, to the Spice Islands, leading 208 vessels, including 62 treasure ships with 27,800 sailors 1533: Pope Clement VII excommunicates England’s King Henry VIII 1818: English poet John Keats writes “In the Cottage Where Burns is Born”, “Lines Written in the Highlands”, and “Gadfly” 1877: Kate Edger becomes New Zealand’s […]
1778: American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain 1940: Battle of Britain begins as Nazi forces attack shipping convoys in the English Channel 1985: French foreign intelligence agents blow up the Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbor, New Zealand to prevent it interfering with French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. Dutch photographer Fernando […]
1401: Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) destroys Baghdad, killing 20,000 1790: Russo-Swedish War: Second Battle of Svensksund – in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian fleet 1868: Louisiana and South Carolina are the last states to ratify the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing civil rights 1893: Daniel Williams repairs the torn pericardium of a […]
1099: First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on 1497: Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departs on his first voyage, will become the 1st European to reach India by sea 1777: Independent Vermont introduces a new constitution, prohibiting slavery 1800: Dr Benjamin Waterhouse gives 1st cowpox vaccination in the US to […]
1520: Battle of Otumba, Mexico: Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeat a numerically superior Aztec force 1937: Japanese and Chinese troops clash at the Marco Polo Bridge, beginning the Second Sino-Japanese War 1947: Alleged and disputed Roswell UFO incident 2005: Coordinated terrorist bomb blasts strike London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour killing 52 and injuring 700 2005: Influenced by […]
