626: Incident at Xuanwu Gate: Prince Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rivals, the brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng, sons of Emperor Gaozu; he then forces the emperor to name him as successor to the throne 1776: Continental Congress resolves “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States” […]
1690: Army of Protestant King William III of England defeats deposed Roman Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge, Ireland 1858: Joint reading of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace’s papers on evolution to the Linnean Society renders audience awestruck and silent 1863: Battle of Gettysburg begins in Pennsylvania, Union […]
1520: Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés during “La Noche Triste” (the Night of Sadness). Many soldiers drown in the escape, and Aztec emperor Moctezuma II dies in the struggle. 1860: Famous debate on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution held at the Oxford University Museum […]
1613: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London burns down during a performance of “Henry VIII” 1900: The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against foreigners in China, blaming them for hostilities and giving license to the Boxers for even greater ferocity 1939: Ford introduces the revolutionary Ford-Ferguson 9N tractor incorporating Harry […]
1519: King Carlos I is elected Holy Roman Emperor Charles V 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria, aged 19, during a five-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London 1914: Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated by Bosnian-Serb assassin Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, setting off a chain of alliances and events that lead […]
1542: Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sets sail from the Mexican port of Navidad on the first European voyage to explore the west coast of North America for the Spanish Empire 1709: Great Northern War: Peter the Great of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava; Charles goes into exile in Bender, Ottoman […]
363: Roman Emperor Julian is killed during retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by troops on the battlefield. 1794: Battle of Fleurus: Major victory by forces of the First French Republic under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan over the Coalition Army (Great Britain, Hanover, Dutch Republic, and Habsburgs). First use of a reconnaissance […]
1678: Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is awarded a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Padua, the first woman to receive a university doctoral degree or PhD 1876: Battle of the Little Bighorn: US 7th Cavalry under Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Chiefs Crazy Horse […]
1497: John Cabot claims parts of North America for England in what is now Eastern Canada, believing he has found Asia in Newfoundland 1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, London 1812: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Armée numbering half a million begin their invasion of Russia by crossing the Nieman River 1853: […]
930: World’s oldest parliament, the Icelandic Parliament is established, the Alþingi (anglicised as Althing or Althingi) 1868: Christopher Latham Sholes patents the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful of its kind 1960: First contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the United States 1972: Hurricane Agnes becomes America’s costliest natural disaster, affecting […]
