1479 Treaty of Alcaçovas: Portugal gives the Canary Islands to Castile in exchange for claims in West Africa 1836 Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting 1,500-3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 182-257 Texans including William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett 1857 Dred Scott Decision: US Supreme Court rules Africans cannot be US citizens 1869 Dmitri […]
363 Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a campaign that brings about his own death 1046 Persian scholar Naser Khosrow begins the 7 year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama 1496 English King Henry VII grants John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) a commission to […]
1238 Battle of the Sit River: Mongol forces of Batu Khan overcome Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal near Yaroslavl in Russia, ending Russian resistance 1801 Thomas Jefferson is the first US President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. 1861 Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th US President 1902 American Automobile Association (AAA) founded in Chicago 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt inaugurated as […]
1575 Indian Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi 1857 Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China 1861 Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs and granting them the full rights of free citizens [O.S. Feb 19] 1887 Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6 year old blind-deaf Helen Keller 1917 1st major strike of the […]
1791 Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris 1796 Napoléon Bonaparte is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in Italy 1807 US Congress bans the slave trade within the US, effective January 1, 1808 1888 The Convention of Constantinople signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace 1946 Ho Chi […]
1642 Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the 1st incorporated American city 1780 Pennsylvania becomes 1st US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only) 1847 Michigan becomes 1st English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty (except for treason against the state) 1869 US Postage stamps showing scenes issued for 1st time. These pictorials showed a post horse and rider, a […]
202 BC Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty’s rule over China 1710 In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock 1854 Republican Party formally organized in Ripon, Wisconsin 1915 WWI: […]
1693 1st women’s magazine “Ladies’ Mercury” published in London, England 1900 In London, the Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet, results in a Labour Representative Committee and eventually the modern Labour Party in 1906 1940 Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in […]
1570 Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. Also absolves her subjects from allegiance to the crown. 1793 1st US cabinet meeting, held at George Washington’s home 1862 First Legal Tender Act 1862 is passed by the US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money […]
303 1st official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued by Emperor Diocletian 1525 Battle of Pavia: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V‘s troops beat the French. French King Francois I captured, 15,000 killed or wounded 1582 Pope Gregory XIII announces New Style (Gregorian) calendar 1739 Battle of Karnal: Army of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, […]
