1595: Astronomer Johannes Kepler has an epiphany and develops his theory of the geometrical basis of the universe while teaching in Graz, Austria 1843: Steamship SS Great Britain is launched, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it is the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull or screw propeller and the largest vessel afloat in the […]
64: Great Fire of Rome begins under the Emperor Nero 1334: Bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by artist Giotto di Bondone 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf, original title was the catchy “Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, […]
180: Six residents of Carthage, North Africa, are executed for being Christian, the earliest recorded instance of Christianity in the region 1203: Siege of Constantinople begins during the Fourth Crusade, as Roman Catholic Crusaders, aboard a Venetian fleet, attack the city 1762: Empress Catherine II becomes Tsarina of Russia after the death and rumored assassination […]
622: Islamic Era begins: Muhammad and his followers begin migration from Mecca to Medina (Hijra) 1054: The Great Schism between Western and Eastern churches begins when Roman Cardinal Humbert issues a bull of excommunication against Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, on the altar of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople 1517: copy of Martin Luther’s 95 theses, […]
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 hanged, 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 […]
1789: The French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, now celebrated as Bastille Day, France’s national day 1798: US Sedition Act prohibits “any false, scandalous, and malicious writing” about the government 1850: First public demonstration of ice made via refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie 1933: All non-Nazi political parties […]
1772: Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern Continent) 1832: Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft 1835: Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson files for a patent for his screw propeller design 1870: King Wilhelm I of Prussia sends the […]
1192: Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler 1679: Britain’s King Charles II ratifies Habeas Corpus Act allowing prisoners’ right to a court review of the justification for their imprisonment 1790: French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic […]
1405: Chinese fleet commander Zheng He sets sail to the Spice Islands on his first major expedition, 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 […]
1940: Battle of Britain begins as Nazi forces attack shipping convoys in the English Channel 1985: French foreign intelligence agents blow up the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbor, New Zealand, to prevent it from interfering with French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira is killed. 1991: Boris Yeltsin is […]
