1791: Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris 1796: Napoléon Bonaparte is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in Italy 1807: US Congress bans the slave trade within the US, effective January 1, 1808 1888: The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal […]
1565: Portuguese soldier Estácio de Sá founds the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1642: Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city 1780: Pennsylvania becomes first US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only) 1847: Michigan becomes the first English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty (except for treason against the state) […]
1693: The first women’s magazine “Ladies’ Mercury”, is published in London 1900: The Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet in London, resulting in a Labour Representative Committee and eventually the modern UK Labour Party in 1906 1933: Nazi Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, is destroyed by fire; possibly set […]
1616: The Roman Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo demanding he abandon his belief in heliocentrism, which states the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun 1797: Bank of England issues first £1 note 1815: Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100-day reconquest of France 1885: Berlin Conference gives Congo to Belgium […]
By Martin Banks If you’re into military history, an upcoming event will be right up your street. It is the 209th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo this summer and a great weekend is planned to mark this milestone. Throughout one weekend in June, the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo will be commemorated. […]
1570: Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign and absolves her subjects from allegiance to the crown 1862: First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by the US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that […]
1525 Battle of Pavia: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s troops defeat the French, killing or wounding 5,000 and capturing French King Francis I 1582 Pope Gregory XIII announces the New Style calendar, commonly known as the Gregorian calendar 1739 Battle of Karnal: Army of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor […]
1455: Johannes Gutenberg prints his first Bible [estimated date] [1] 1540: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition sets off from Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Gold (Cibola) 1836: The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eventually killed 1904: […]
303: First official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued by Emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia, ordering all churches to be closed and scriptures burnt 1632: Galileo Galilei’s book “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” is published comparing the Copernican and Ptolemaic systems and whether the Earth orbits the sun 1774: British House of Lords […]
1173: Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury 1613: Michael Romanov, son of the Patriarch of Moscow, is elected the first Russian Tsar of the House of Romanov 1804: World’s first steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, runs for the first time along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales […]
