626: Incident at Xuanwu Gate: in fear of assassination, Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng 1776: Continental Congress resolves “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States” 1823: Bahia Independence Day: the end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese […]
1689: Matsuo Basho, zen poet, leaves for 150 days journey on Honshu, Japan 1858: The joint reading of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace’s papers on evolution to the Linnean Society 1863: Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Lee’s northward advance halted 1867: The Dominion of Canada is formed, comprising the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario & Quebec, with John A. Macdonald serving as […]
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 and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry […]
1613: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England, burns down during a performance of “Henry VIII” 1900: The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against the foreigners in China and blames hostilities on them, giving license to Boxers for even greater ferocity 1949: South Africa begins implementing apartheid; no mixed marriages 1964: Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed […]
1389: Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe 1519: King Carlos I elected Holy Roman Catholic Emperor Charles V 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, London 1919: Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI and establishing the League of Nations, is signed in France Source: Onthisday.com
1542: Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sets sail from the Mexican port of Navidad to explore the west coast of North America on behalf of the Spanish Empire 1743: War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Dettingen: in Bavaria, King George II of Britain personally leads troops into battle. The last time a British monarch commanded troops in the field. 1929: 1st color TV […]
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 reconnaissance balloon 1857: The first […]
1678: Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is awarded a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Padua, 1st 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 and Sitting Bull in what has become famously known as “Custer’s […]
1497: John Cabot claims Eastern Canada for England (believes he has found Asia in Nova Scotia) 1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, London 1793: 1st republican constitution in France adopted 1812: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Armée numbering half a million begin their invasion of Russia by crossing the Nieman River 1853: US President Franklin Pierce signs the Gadsden Purchase, buying 29,670 […]
1633: Galileo Galilei forced to recant his Copernican views that the Earth orbits the Sun by the Pope (Vatican only admits it was wrong on Oct 31, 1992!) 1675: Royal Greenwich Observatory established in England by Charles II 1772: Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement 1848: Beginning of the June Days […]
