16

Oct

OnThisDay…

1813 - Battle of Leipzig, largest battle in Europe prior to WWI, Napoleon's forces defeated by Prussia, Austria and Russia 1847 - English novelist Charlotte Brontë (under the pseudonym Currer Bell) published Jane Eyre, which…

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15

Oct

On This Day…

1581 - Commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the 1st ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine" is staged in Paris 1582 - Gregorian calendar introduced in Spain, Portugal and pontifical states, after skipping…

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14

Oct

On This Day…

1066 - Battle of Hastings: William the Conqueror and his Norman army defeat the English forces of Harold II who is killed in the battle 1322 - Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at…

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13

Oct

On This Day…

54 - Nero succeeds Claudius as Roman Emperor 1307 - French King Philip IV has Grand Master Jacques de Molay and Knights Templar arrested and charged of idolatry and corruption 1884 - Greenwich in London established…

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12

Oct

On This Day…

539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon 1279 - Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon 1492 - Christopher Columbus's expedition makes…

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11

Oct

On This Day…

890 - The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was organized. 1899 - The South African (Boer) War began between Great Britain and the two Boer (Afrikaner) republics—the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.…

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10

Oct

On This Day…

680 - Al-Hussein (Al-Ḥusayn ibn) and his followers killed at Karbala by army of Yazid, the Umayyad caliph, on the way to Kufa 1780 - Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to…

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09

Oct

On This Day…

768 - Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I are crowned Kings of The Franks 1000 - Leif Ericson discovers "Vinland" (possibly L'Anse aux Meadows, Canada) reputedly becoming first European to reach North America…

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08

Oct

On This Day…

1480 - Great standing on the Ugra river, standoff between forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and Ivan III Grand Prince of all Rus, Tataro-Mongols retreat, leads to disintegration of…

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07

Oct

On This Day…

1571 - Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of southern European nations destroy Ottoman fleet in significant loss off Western Greece 1737 - A cyclone causes 40 foot waves that are believed to…

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06

Oct

On This Day…

1889 - Thomas Edison shows his 1st motion picture 1917 - Battle of Passchendaele: Canadian troops capture the village of Passchendaele in the Third Battle of Ypres, after 250,000 casualties on both sides…

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05

Oct

On This Day…

1789 - French Revolution: Women of Paris march to Versailles in the March on Versailles to confront Louis XVI about his refusal to promulgate the decrees on the abolition of feudalism, demand bread, and have…

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04

Oct

On This Day…

1537 - The 1st complete English-language Bible, the "Matthew Bible" is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale 1582 - Last Julian calendar day in Spain, Portugal and pontifical states.…

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03

Oct

On This Day…

2333 BC - State of Gojoseon (Modern-day Korea) founded by Dangun Wanggeom during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Yao 52 BC - Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans…

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02

Oct

OnThisDay…

1187 - Sultan Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders 1492 - King Henry VII of England invades France 1789 - George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification…

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01

Oct

On This Day…

331 BC -Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela 1553 - With her coronation, Mary I became the first queen to rule England in her own right; she was later…

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30

Sep

On This Day…

1520 - Suleiman the Magnificent succeeds his father Selam I as Ottoman Sultan (rules till 1566) 1846 - Anesthetic ether used for 1st time by American dentist Dr William Morton who extracts a…

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29

Sep

On This Day…

522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills Magian usurper Gaumâta, securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire 480 BC - Battle of Salamis: The Greek fleet under Themistocles defeats…

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28

Sep

On This Day…

935 - Saint Wenceslas is murdered by his brother, Boleslaus I of Bohemia 1066 - William the Conqueror invades England landing at Pevensey Bay, Sussex 1542 - Explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, known as the…

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16

Sep

On This Day…

1620 - English colonists aboard the Mayflower set sail for America, where they founded Plymouth, Massachusetts, after 41 men, including William Bradford and Myles Standish, signed the Mayflower Compact.  1795 - British capture Capetown, South Africa, from the Dutch  1800 - Pope Pius…

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14

Sep

On This Day…

1752 - Britain and the British Empire (including the American colonies) adopt the Gregorian calendar (no Sept 3 - Sept 13)  1936 - 1st prefrontal lobotomy in America performed by Walter Freeman and James W. Watts…

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12

Sep

On This Day…

1758 - French astronomer Charles Messier mistakenly identifies the Crab Nebula so begins his Messier Catalogue  1909 - World's first patent for synthetic rubber granted to German chemist Fritz Hofmann  1933 - Leó Szilárd, waiting for a…

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11

Sep

On This Day…

1297 - Battle at Stirling Bridge, Scottish rebel William Wallace defeats the English  1565 - Turkish forces retreat from Malta  1609 - Expulsion order announced against the Moriscos of Valencia; beginning of the expulsion of all Spain's Moriscos …

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10

Sep

On This Day…

1776 - George Washington asks for a spy volunteer, Nathan Hale volunteers  1608 - Having survived capture by Indians (reputedly through the efforts of Pocahontas, a chief's daughter), John Smith became president of Jamestown colony, the first permanent English settlement in North…

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09

Sep

On This Day…

1000 - Battle of Svolder, Baltic Sea: King Olaf on board the Long Serpent defeated in one of the greatest naval battles of the Viking Age.  1776 - Congress officially renames the country as the…

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08

Sep

On This Day…

1380 - Battle on Kulikovo: Moscow's great monarch Dimitri defeats the Mongols beginning the decline of the Tatars  1504 - Michelangelo's Statue of David is unveiled in Florence  1522 - Spanish navigator Juan de Elcano returns to…

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03

Sep

On This Day…

301 - San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, founded by Saint Marinus  1783 - Treaty of Paris signed…

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02

Sep

On This Day…

31 BC - Battle of Actium: decisive naval battle that effectively ends the Roman Republic. Octavian's forces defeat those under Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the western coast of Greece. …

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01

Sep

On This Day…

1715 - King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years—the longest of any major European monarch.  1939 - World War II starts when Germany invades Poland…

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31

Aug

On This Day…

1142 - Possible date for establishment of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) League - with the aid of Hiawatha and Deganawidah  1864 - During the American Civil War, the Confederate evacuation of Atlanta…

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30

Aug

On This Day…

1146 - European leaders outlaw crossbow, intending to end war for all time  1363 - Beginning of the Battle of Lake Poyang; two Chinese rebel leaders Chen Youliang and Zhu…

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29

Aug

On This Day…

1526 - Battle of Mohács: In a decisive battle the Hungarian Empire is conquered by the Ottoman Empire led by Suleiman the Magnificent  1825 - Portugal recognizes the Independence of…

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28

Aug

On This Day…

1189 - Third Crusade: the Crusaders begin the Siege of Acre under Guy of Lusignan  1609 - English explorer Henry Hudson, discovers and explores Delaware Bay  1830 - 1st American…

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27

Aug

On This Day…

479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Mycale won by Greek forces over Persian naval troops on Ionian coast, double victory with that at Plataea ends Persian invasion  663 -…

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26

Aug

On This Day…

1346 - Battle of Crécy, south of Calais in northern France; Edward III's English longbows defeat Philip VI's army, cannons used for first time in battle  1429  - In preparation…

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21

Aug

On This Day…

1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan. - (Traditional Japanese date: July 12, 1192)  1703 - The Edirne Event: Turkish army removes Sultan Mustafa II, lessening the power of the sultans  1772 - King Gustav…

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20

Aug

On This Day…

1597 - 1st Dutch East India Company ships return from the Far East  1619 - 1st known African Americans in English North America (approx. 20) land at Point Comfort (Fort Monroe), Virginia. They are…

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19

Aug

On This Day…

43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul  1839 - Details of Louis Daguerre's 1st practical photographic process are released in Paris  1942 - World War II: Over 4,000 Canadian and…

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18

Aug

On This Day…

1737 - First public admittance to the Salon de Paris art exhibition at the Louvre in Paris  1838 - United States Exploring Expedition headed by Charles Wilkes departs for the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica  1914 - US President Woodrow…

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16

Aug

On This Day…

622 - Muslim Era begins - Muhammad begins flight from Mecca to Medina (Hijra)  1054 - Three Roman legates fracture relations between Western and Eastern Christian churches by placing invalid Papal Bull of Excommunication…

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15

Aug

On This Day…

1099 - City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade  1381 - John Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard…

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13

Aug

On This Day…

1521 - Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés capture Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc in Tenochtitlan marking the end of the Aztec Empire  1536 - Buddhist monks from Kyōto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto in the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance. (Traditional Japanese date:…

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12

Aug

On This Day…

1121 - Battle of Didgori: the Georgian army under King David the Builder wins a decisive victory over the famous Seljuk commander Ilghazi  1480 - Battle of Otranto - Ottoman troops behead 800 Christians for refusing…

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11

Aug

On This Day…

3114 BC - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins  1945 - Allies refuse Japan's offer to surrender on the condition that Emperor Hirohito retains his status  1950 - Ethel…

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10

Aug

On This Day…

612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire. Destruction of Nineveh.  610 - In Islam, the traditional date of the Laylat al-Qadr, when Muhammad began to receive the Qur'an  1497 - John Cabot tells King Henry VII of…

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09

Aug

On This Day…

48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. 378 - Battle of Adrianople: Goth army defeats…

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08

Aug

On This Day…

509 - Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire in Southern India 1588 - The English fleet won a decisive battle over…

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07

Aug

On This Day…

1461 - Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor 1714 - The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy…

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05

Aug

On This Day…

910 - The last major Viking army to raid England is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and…

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04

Aug

On This Day…

1558 - 1st printing of Zohar (Jewish Kabbalah) 1704 - During the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain took control of Gibraltar after Spain surrendered, and “the Rock” subsequently became…

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03

Aug

On This Day…

1492 - Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the "Indies" 1596 - David…

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02

Aug

On This Day…

338 BC - Macedonian army led by Philip II defeats combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean  216…

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01

Aug

On This Day…

527 - Justinian I becomes the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire  1086 - Results of the Domesday inquiry presented to William the Conqueror in Salisbury (the date of compilation…

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31

Jul

On This Day…

30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves minor victory over Octavian, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to Octavian's invasion of Egypt  1620 - Pilgrim Fathers…

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30

Jul

On This Day…

1178 - Frederick I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor, crowned King of Burgundy  1419 - First defenestration of Prague: anti-Catholic Hussites, followers of executed reformer Jan Hus, storm Prague town hall…

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29

Jul

On This Day…

1588 - The Battle of Gravelines - Spanish Armada damaged and scattered by the English fleet  1609 - Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New…

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28

Jul

On This Day…

1794 - French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of "the Terror" guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris  1868 - The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—which granted…

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