Category: Today In History

AD 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate. 1348 – A strong earthquake strikes the South Alpine region of Friuli in modern Italy, causing considerable damage to buildings as far away as Rome. 1533 – Henry VIII of England secretly marries Anne Boleyn. 1787 – Shays’s...

AD 41 – Roman Emperor Caligula, known for his eccentricity and sadistic despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. The Guard then proclaims Caligula’s uncle Claudius as Emperor 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento. 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme...

393 – Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. 971 – In China, the war elephant corps of the Southern Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song dynasty troops. 1368 – In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascends the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming...

250 – Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred. 1265 – The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the “Houses of Parliament”. 1356 – Edward Balliol...

January 19 1419 – Hundred Years’ War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy. 1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines. 1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession...

350 – General Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor. 1562 – Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session. 1778 – James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the “Sandwich Islands”. 1788 – The first elements of the...