Sunday, January 26, 2025
Today: 1500 – Spanish explorer Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to sight Brazil. 1531 – Lisbon, Portugal, is struck by a devastating earthquake, killing thousands. 1699 – The Treaty of Karlowitz is signed, ending the Austro-Ottoman War and marking the Ottoman Empire’s loss of significant territory in Europe. 1788 – The British First […]
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Today: 41 – Roman Emperor Caligula was assassinated by his guards, and Claudius was proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard. 1327 – Edward III became King of England after the forced abdication of his father, Edward II. 1494 – Alfonso II became King of Naples after the death of his father, Ferdinand I. 1533 – […]
Friday, January 24, 2025
Today: 41 AD – Roman Emperor Caligula was assassinated by his Praetorian guards, leading to the accession of Claudius as emperor. 1438 – The Council of Basel suspended Pope Eugene IV. 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolved the Cavalier Parliament, which had been in session since 1661. 1742 – Charles VII was elected […]
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Today: 1368 – Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne as the Hongwu Emperor, founding China’s Ming dynasty. 1556 – The Shaanxi earthquake, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, struck China, killing an estimated 830,000 people. 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, was […]
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Today: 1506 – The first contingent of the Swiss Guard arrived at the Vatican to serve as the personal bodyguards of Pope Julius II. 1689 – The Convention Parliament convened to determine if James II of England had vacated the throne when he fled to France. 1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrived in Brazil, […]
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Today: 1535 – The city of Lima, Peru, was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro as Ciudad de los Reyes (City of Kings). 1720 – Sweden and Prussia signed the Treaty of Stockholm, ending hostilities between the two nations in the Great Northern War. 1793 – King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine […]
Monday, January 20, 2025
Today: 1265 – The first English Parliament to include commoners met at Westminster, marking a significant step in the development of representative government. 1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek was crowned King of Poland, establishing the Kingdom of Poland. 1649 – Charles I of England went on trial for treason and other “high crimes,” which ultimately […]
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Today: 639 – Dagobert I, King of the Franks, dies and is succeeded by his son Clovis II. 1419 – During the Hundred Years’ War, Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his conquest of Normandy. 1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund. 1806 […]
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Today: 1486 – King Henry VII of England married Elizabeth of York, uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and effectively ending the Wars of the Roses. 1671 – Pirate Henry Morgan captured Panama City after crossing the Isthmus of Panama. 1778 – Captain James Cook became the first known European to visit the Hawaiian […]
Friday, January 17, 2025
Today: 1377 – Pope Gregory XI returned the Papacy from Avignon to Rome, officially ending the Avignon Papacy. 1562 – The Edict of Saint-Germain was issued in France, granting limited tolerance to Protestants and temporarily ending the French Wars of Religion. 1608 – Emperor Susenyos was formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia, beginning significant religious and […]