1065: Westminster Abbey Consecrated in London 1612: First observation of Neptune – Galileo observes and records a “fixed star” without realising it is a planet 1767: King Taksin crowned King of Thailand and establishes Thonburi as his capital 1836: Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico 1860: Harriet Tubman arrives in Auburn, New York, on her last mission to free slaves, having evaded capture for […]
1512: Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regards to native Indians in the New World 1657: “Flushing Remonstrance” petition signed in the Dutch colony of New Netherland, protesting the ban on Quaker worship 1939: Between 20,000 and 40,000 die in magnitude 8 earthquake in Erzincam, Turkey 1945: International Monetary Fund formally established […]
1492: 1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti) 1792: Trial of French King Louis XVI, court hears the kings defense brought by Raymond Desèze 1825: Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December] 2004: 9.3 magnitude earthquake creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, […]
1: 1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus 800: Pope Leo III crowns Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Roman Emperor 1066: William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England 1741: Astronomer Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale 1868: Despite bitter opposition, US President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all persons involved in Southern rebellion (Civil War) […]
1565: Compromise of the Nobles in Habsburg Netherlands closes against inquisition 1814: Treaty of Ghent signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies 1936: 1st radioactive isotope medicine administered in Berkeley, California 1943: US President FDR appoints General Eisenhower Supreme Commander of the Allied forces Source: Onthisday.com
962: Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo, recovering the tattered tunic of John the Baptist 1688: King James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch flees to France from William of Orange 1783: US General George Washington resigns his military commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Army to Congress 1888: Vincent van Gogh cuts […]
1790: Supposedly impenetrable Turkish fortress of Izmail stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–92) 1877: Thomas Edison’s Phonograph is announced by Scientific American 1885: Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, becomes the first Prime Minister of Japan 1989: After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu 1990: Lech Wałęsa sworn in as Poland’s […]
1620: Mayflower Pilgrims come ashore at in Plymouth Bay, traditionally thought to be at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts [OS=Dec 11] 1898: Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium 1968: Apollo 8: 1st manned Moon voyage launched with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders 1988: Lockerbie disaster: A terrorist bomb destroys Pan Am Flight 103 mid-air, over Scotland; kills all 259 passengers and […]
1522: Suleiman the Magnificent accepts surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle in Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta. 1803: French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark the formal transfer of the Louisiana Purchase from France to USA for $27M 1812: “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” or “Children’s and Household […]
1776: Thomas Paine publishes his 1st “American Crisis” essay beginning “These are the times that try men’s souls” (date disputed) 1783: William Pitt the Younger becomes the youngest ever British Prime Minister at age 24 1932: British Broadcasting Corp begins transmitting overseas 1950: Chinese invasion of Tibet forces the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to flee 1958: 1st radio broadcast from space, US […]
