Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Today: 563 CE – The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) is dedicated for the second time after being rebuilt following a fire. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, succeeding Celestine V, who had abdicated the papacy earlier that month. 1777 – Kiritimati (Christmas Island) is discovered by Captain James Cook during his third […]
Monday, December 23, 2024
Today: 558 – The dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople collapses and is immediately rebuilt under the order of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. 962 – Byzantine Emperor Otto I’s forces recapture Capua, an important city in southern Italy. 1672 – Giovanni Cassini discovers Saturn’s moon Rhea. 1783 – George Washington resigns his commission as […]
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Today: 401 – Vandals, Alans, and Suebi tribes crossed the Rhine River, invading the Roman Empire’s territory in what is now modern Germany. 1216 – Pope Honorius III officially approved the Dominican Order, also known as the Order of Preachers. 1715 – James Stuart, the “Old Pretender,” landed at Peterhead, Scotland, in an attempt to […]
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Today: 497 BC: The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome, honoring the god Saturn with feasting and merriment. 546 AD: Ostrogoth King Totila captured Rome during the Gothic War. 1398: Timur (Tamerlane) led his army in the capture of Delhi, marking a brutal sack of the city. 1538: Pope Paul III excommunicated King […]
Monday, December 16, 2024
Today: 1497 – Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope, opening a sea route to India. 1653 – Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 1707 – The last eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan begins, lasting until January 1, 1708. 1773 – The Boston Tea Party takes place as […]
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Today: 533 – Byzantine General Belisarius defeats the Vandals at the Battle of Tricamarum, securing North Africa for the Byzantine Empire. 1161 – The Song dynasty of China defeats the Jin dynasty at the Battle of Tangdao. 1256 – The Mongols, under Hulagu Khan, capture and destroy the Alamut Castle, a stronghold of the Nizari […]
Friday, December 13, 2024
Today: 1545 – The Council of Trent, an important part of the Counter-Reformation, began in northern Italy, aiming to address church reform and clarify Catholic doctrine. 1577 – Sir Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on his voyage to circumnavigate the globe. 1642 – Dutch navigator Abel Tasman reached New Zealand, becoming the first […]
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Today: 627 – The Battle of Nineveh: Byzantine forces under Emperor Heraclius defeat the Persian Empire led by King Khosrow II, marking a pivotal victory in the Byzantine-Sasanian War. 1098 – During the First Crusade, the Crusaders conquer Ma’arrat al-Numan, massacring much of the population. 1408 – The Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order, […]
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Today: 1620 – The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Harbor in present-day Massachusetts, establishing Plymouth Colony. 1688 – King James II of England fled to France after the Glorious Revolution, effectively abdicating the throne. 1816 – Indiana was admitted as the 19th U.S. state. 1844 – Dr. Horace Wells, a dentist, became the first person […]
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Today: 1520 – Martin Luther publicly burned the papal bull “Exsurge Domine,” which threatened him with excommunication, marking a significant moment in the Protestant Reformation. 1684 – Isaac Newton’s derivation of Kepler’s laws, demonstrating planetary motion due to gravitational forces, was read to the Royal Society. 1817 – Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state […]