Monday, January 6, 2025
Today: 1066 – Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England, succeeding Edward the Confessor. 1205 – Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans after being elected by German princes. 1540 – King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, though the marriage is later annulled. 1649 – The English Rump […]
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Today: 1477 – The Battle of Nancy takes place during the Burgundian Wars, leading to the death of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and marking the end of Burgundy as an independent power. 1500 – Duke Ludovico Sforza recaptures Milan with the help of Swiss mercenaries during the Italian Wars. 1757 – Robert-François Damiens […]
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Today: 1493 – Christopher Columbus, on his first voyage, leaves the New World to return to Spain. 1642 – King Charles I of England attempts to arrest members of Parliament, leading to the English Civil War. 1762 – Great Britain declares war on Spain during the Seven Years’ War. 1790 – George Washington delivers the […]
Friday, January 3, 2025
Today: 1521 – Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem for his role in the Protestant Reformation. 1777 – The Battle of Princeton occurred during the American Revolutionary War, with General George Washington’s forces defeating British troops. 1868 – The Tokugawa shogunate in Japan was abolished as […]
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Today: 1492 – Reconquista ends as Muhammad XII, the last Moorish ruler of Granada, surrenders to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. 1757 – British forces, led by Robert Clive, capture the Indian city of Calcutta from Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah. 1788 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, becoming the fourth U.S. state. 1839 – The first […]
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Today: 45 BCE – The Julian calendar, instituted by Julius Caesar, came into effect for the first time, making January 1 the beginning of the new year. 404 CE – The last known gladiatorial competition took place in Rome after being banned by Emperor Honorius. 630 CE – Prophet Muhammad set out from Medina to […]
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Today: 406 – Vandals, Alans, and Suebi crossed the Rhine into Gaul, marking a significant moment in the decline of the Western Roman Empire. 1600 – The British East India Company was incorporated by a royal charter issued by Queen Elizabeth I, paving the way for British colonial expansion in Asia. 1687 – The first […]
Monday, December 30, 2024
Today: 1460 – Richard, Duke of York, was killed in the Battle of Wakefield during the Wars of the Roses in England. 1703 – Tokyo, then known as Edo, was struck by a major earthquake that caused widespread devastation and thousands of deaths. 1813 – British soldiers burned Buffalo, New York, during the War of […]
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Today: 1170 – Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights, believed to have been acting on the orders of King Henry II of England. 1778 – British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell capture Savannah, Georgia, during the American Revolutionary War. 1845 – Texas becomes the 28th state of the United […]
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Today: 1065 – Westminster Abbey is consecrated in London, England. 1492 – The Alhambra Decree is issued by Ferdinand and Isabella, expelling Jews from Spain. 1612 – Galileo Galilei observes the planet Neptune, but mistakenly identifies it as a star. 1832 – The first US railroad accident occurs in South Carolina, killing several passengers. 1851 […]