Monday, December 9, 2024
Today: 536 – Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome, ending the Ostrogothic rule. 1212 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is crowned King of Germany in Mainz. 1608 – John Milton, English poet and author of “Paradise Lost,” is born in London. 1793 – The New York City’s first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established […]
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Today: 1851 – The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal, Canada. 1863 – Abraham Lincoln announces his plan for Reconstruction, including the Ten Percent Plan. 1886 – American poet Emily Dickinson dies in Amherst, Massachusetts. 1914 – The Battle of the Falkland Islands occurs during World War I; British naval forces decisively […]
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Today: 1732 – The Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London. 1787 – Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1815 – Michel Ney, one of Napoleon’s marshals, is executed by firing squad in Paris for treason. 1869 – American outlaw Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Gallatin, […]
Friday, December 6, 2024
Today: 1240 – The Mongols under Batu Khan capture and destroy Kyiv, marking a significant moment in the Mongol invasion of Rus’. 1492 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Hispaniola, which is now divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 1534 – The city of Quito, Ecuador, is founded by Spanish settlers led […]
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Today: 1492 – Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola, now divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 1766 – James Christie held the first auction of his now-famous auction house in London, England. 1776 – The first fraternity in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded […]
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Today: 771 – Charlemagne becomes the sole ruler of the Frankish Kingdom after the death of his brother, Carloman I. 1110 – The Crusaders conquer Sidon in present-day Lebanon during the First Crusade. 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent convenes, marking the conclusion of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. 1619 – Thirty-eight colonists […]
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Today: 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent was held, marking the end of the Catholic Church’s Counter-Reformation efforts initiated in 1545. 1755 – Gilbert Stuart, an American painter best known for his portraits of George Washington, was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. 1775 – The first official American flag, the […]
Monday, December 2, 2024
Today: 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French in a ceremony at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. 1823 – President James Monroe outlined the Monroe Doctrine in his annual message to Congress, warning European nations against further colonization in the Americas. 1845 – President James K. Polk reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine, asserting […]
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Today: 1640 – Portugal regained independence from Spain after 60 years of Iberian Union, marking the start of the Portuguese Restoration War. 1821 – Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) declared independence from Spain. 1824 – The U.S. presidential election was decided in the House of Representatives after no candidate secured a majority of electoral […]
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Today: 3340 BCE – The oldest known eclipse is recorded in Ireland, as later dated from ancient carvings. 1016 – Cnut the Great (Canute), King of Denmark, claims the English throne after the death of Edmund Ironside. 1700 – The Battle of Narva occurs during the Great Northern War, where Swedish forces under Charles XII […]