Category: Today In History

1219 – Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, thousands perish. 1412 – The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy. 1493 – Columbus leaves the new world and sets sail for Spain returning from his first trip 1777 – Vermont declares independence from NY 1879 – Record 13″ of snow falls in NYC (broken...

1346 – Emperor Louis IV of Bavaria gives his wife Margaretha, Holland/Zeeland.   Happy Birthday! 1535 – Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England 1762 – Fraunces Tavern opens in NYC 1777 – People of New Connecticut (Vermont) declare independence from England 1831 – First US-built locomotive to pull a passenger train...

1501 – Martin Luther, age 17, enters the University of Erfurt. 1514 – Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery. 1639 Connecticut’s first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, was adopted. 1699 – Massachusetts holds day of fasting for wrongly persecuting “witches” 1784 The United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary...

532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams-the Blues and the Greens-in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender. 1693 – A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta. 1759 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,...

49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. *1645 – Archbishop William Laud is beheaded at the Tower of London. *1776 – Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common Sense. *1812 – The first steamboat on the Ohio River or the Mississippi River arrives in New Orleans, 82 days after...

 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.  1150 – Wanyan Liang and other court officials murder Emperor Xizong of Jin. Wanyan Liang succeeds him as emperor.  1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the...