1483: Edward V (aged 12) succeeds his father Edward IV as king of England. He is never crowned, and disappears presumed murdered, after incarceration in the Tower of London with his younger brother Richard (the “Princes in the Tower”) 1731: British mariner Robert Jenkins’ ear is cut off by Spanish Guarde Costa in the Caribbean, […]
1767: Ayutthaya kingdom in present-day Thailand falls to Burmese invaders 1820: The famous ancient Greek statue, Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos 1886: William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons. 1898: Battle of Atbara River: Anglo-Egyptian forces defeat 15,000 Sudanese during […]
30: Scholars estimate for the crucifixion of Jesus by Roman troops in Jerusalem [or April 3] 529: First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis or the Justinian Code (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I 1948: World Health Organization is formed by the United Nations 1954: US President Dwight D. […]
46 BC: Battle of Thapsus: Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) near Thapsus in modern-day Tunisia 1453: Turkish forces under Sultan Mehmed II begin the siege of the Byzantine Empire’s capital, Constantinople (now Istanbul), which falls on May 29 1652: Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South […]
1242: Battle on the Ice: Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus between Estonia and Russia 1722: Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen is the first European to discover Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean 1818: Battle of Maipú: Chile’s independence movement, led […]
1581: Francis Drake is knighted by Queen Elizabeth I aboard his galleon, the “Golden Hind” at Deptford, England 1655: Battle of Porto Farina: English fleet defeats Barbary pirates in Tunis 1789: First US Congress begins regular sessions during George Washington’s presidency at Federal Hall, NYC (ends 1791) 1949: The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in […]
1367: An alliance of King Peter of Castile, Edward the Black Prince and John of Gaunt of England, Aquitaine, Majorca and Navarra defeats Count Henry of Castile in the Battle of Navarrete, fought near Nájera in La Rioja, Castile 1645: English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, significant step toward New Model […]
1513: Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida 1792: The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint and authorizing the $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & 2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins & silver dollar, ½ dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime 1801: Napoleonic Wars: The British […]
527: Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne The ruins of Pompeii, still standing after over 2000 yearsRuins of Pompeii 1748: The ruins of Pompeii are rediscovered by Spaniard Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre 1948: “Big Bang” theory proposed in scientific journal “Physical Review” by American cosmologists […]
1146: Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine are present and join the Crusade. 1492: Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon issue the Alhambra Decree expelling Jews from their kingdoms 1657: English […]
