Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Today: 1692: five people convicted of witchcraft are hanged in Salem, Massachusetts, during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. 1812: the American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerrière during the War of 1812. The USS Constitution earns its famous nickname, “Old Ironsides,” when British cannonballs are seen bouncing off its wooden hull. 1919: […]
Monday, August 18, 2025
Today: 1227: Genghis Khan, the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, died. At the time of his death, his empire was the largest in history. 1590: John White returned to the Roanoke Colony after a three-year absence to find it completely deserted, with the only clue being the word “CROATOAN” carved into a […]
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Today: 1807: Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat, later known as the Clermont, began the world’s first commercial steamboat service, traveling from New York City to Albany, New York. 1877: Billy the Kid, an American outlaw, committed his first known murder in Arizona, shooting and killing a blacksmith named Francis Cahill during a fight. 1915: Jewish-American […]
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Today: 1777: During the American Revolutionary War, American forces led by General John Stark defeated British and Hessian troops at the Battle of Bennington in New York. 1812: In the War of 1812, American General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit to a smaller British and Native American force without a fight. 1858: The first transatlantic […]
Friday, August 15, 2025
Today: 1057: Macbeth, King of Scotland, is killed in battle by the forces of Malcolm Canmore, the son of the king he had slain. 1519: Panama City, Panama is founded. 1877: Thomas Edison makes the first ever sound recording. 1914: The Panama Canal officially opens with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon. 1939: […]
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Today: 1795: President George Washington signs the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, which sought to resolve issues remaining from the American Revolution and avert another war. 1900: An international force of troops from eight nations entered Beijing, China, to end the Boxer Rebellion. 1917: China officially declared war on Germany during World War I. 1935: […]
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Today: 1521: Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, after a three-month siege. This event led to the fall of the Aztec civilization and the establishment of Spanish rule in what is now Mexico. 1704: During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Battle of Blenheim took place, where English […]
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Today: 1806: Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was accidentally shot in the leg by a member of his own party while hunting for elk along the Missouri River. 1877: American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Deimos, one of the two moons of Mars. The other moon, Phobos, was discovered just a few days […]
Monday, August 11, 2025
Today: 1804: Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor, became the first Emperor of Austria. This was in response to Napoleon Bonaparte declaring himself Emperor of France. 1919: Germany’s Weimar Constitution was signed into law by President Friedrich Ebert, establishing the nation’s first parliamentary democracy. 1929: Baseball player Babe Ruth hit his 500th career home […]
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Today: 1173: Construction began on the bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa, Italy. Due to a shallow foundation set on soft subsoil, it began to tilt early in its construction, earning it the name the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 1854: Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden” was published. This work reflects on his two-year experience […]