Louis Alphonse, the Duke of Anjou, was born on this day in 1974. It is interesting that he is the present-day head of the famous dynasty of Capet, the most powerful dynasty in the history of Europe (including the Habsburgs whose male line died off)....
-
1843: How did Hemophilia Come into the Russian Royal Family?
Princess Alice of Great Britain was born on this day. It is she who passed on hemophilia to the Russian imperial family. Namely, Alice was the daughter of the famous Queen Victoria, and she passed on Victoria’s gene for hemophilia to her daughter, wh...
-
1792: The First Execution by Guillotine during the French Revolution
The guillotine was used as a means of carrying out the death penalty for the first time in history on this day. That device was named after Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin, a doctor who was actually very humane and opposed to the death penalty. As a fir...
-
1472: Leon Battista Alberti – The Ingenious Predecessor of Leonardo da Vinci
Leon Battista Alberti, probably the earliest example of a versatile Renaissance man, like the one Leonardo da Vinci later became, died on this day. Namely, Alberti was born nearly half a century before the famous Leonardo, and was in some way Leonard...
-
1939: How did the Famous Batman come to be?
On this day the comic starring the superhero Batman was launched for the first time. It was in the 27th issue of the American magazine “Detective Comics“. This comic was published by DC Comics, Marvel’s main competitor. Just to recall, Marvel Comics...
-
PHOTO: Sari Temple on Java
Sari is a famous Buddhist temple located in a hamlet near Yogyakarta on Java, Indonesia. It dates from the 8th century and was probably originally a monastery for the monks who served at the nearby Kalasan temple. The ruins were only discovered in th...
-
1214: Birth of Louis IX – The Only Saint among French Kings
Many saints were contemporaries of Louis IX, such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Albert the Great. St. Louis IX was born on this day in 1214. He became the only French king to be proclaimed a saint. He was a devout...
-
404 BC : Sparta Wins Peloponnesian War
Despite the vast wealth and war efforts of the Athenians, Sparta won the war. The Peloponnesian War ended on this day in 404 BC. Sparta finally defeated Athens after over 25 years of conflict. The war had, namely, begun in 431; only 18 years after th...
-
1849: Felix Klein – The Mathematician after whom the Famous Klein Bottle was Named
Felix Klein, the famous German mathematician, was born on this day in 1849. The Klein bottle was named after him. It is a mathematical example of a non-orientable surface which has no boundaries. Similarly, the Möbius strip is also a non-orientable s...
-
1945: Great German Reich Cut in Two
This day in 1945, near the end of World War II, marked the first time the troops of the Western Allies and the Soviets came into direct contact in Germany. It was a turning point because the territory of the Third Reich was then divided into two sepa...
-
1854: The Wedding of Emperor Francis Joseph and Empress Sissi
On this day, Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I and Bavarian princess Elisabeth, known by the nickname Sissi, were married in Vienna. The two of them met the year before. It is interesting that Elizabeth was Francis Joseph’s first cousin (their mothe...
-
2011: The Unexpected Death of Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba died on this day in 2011, in Puttaparthi, the same place where he was born. He died at the age of 84, due to respiratory problems, at the hospital that he himself built for poor Indians. His funeral allegedly brought together over 500...
-
1903: Birh of José Antonio Primo de Rivera
On this day was born the right-wing Spanish politician Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. He is the founder of the known Spanish Falange, a right-wing party with fascist characteristics. Interestingly, Falange under Primo de Rivera was not a monarchist an...
-
1967: First Human Victim during a Space Mission – Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov
The first human being died during a space mission on this day in 1967, at least according to the official records. The Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died during the return of the spacecraft Soyuz 1 to the Earth. The spacecraft crashed in Russia,...
-
1913: The Woolworth Building Opened in New York
The tallest building in the world, the Woolworth Building, was opened in New York on this day in 1913. This building was the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1913 to 1930 (height of 241 meters). Today, the Woolworth Building is over 100 years old...
-
1918: First Tank Battle in World History
The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in northern France took place during the last year of World War I. This day in 1918 marks the anniversary of the first tank battle in world history. Even though the first tanks of World War I appeared on the battlefie...
-
1800: Library of Congress Founded in Washington
The Library of Congress claims it is the largest in the world with 160 million titles and 1350 km of shelves. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. was founded on this day in 1800. It is one of the largest libraries in the world and de facto th...
-
1970: Red Threat: The Chinese Start Conquering Space
China’s first successful launch of an object into space was historically important because China then entered the so-called “Space Club”. On this day China launched its first satellite into space. It was called Dong Fang Hong I, which is Chinese for...
-
1903: The Young Right-Wing Politician who Founded the Falange Party
The Spanish right-wing politician Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera was born on this day. He was the founder of the Spanish Falange, a right-wing party with fascist characteristics. Interestingly, the Falange under Primo de Rivera was not a monarchist and...
-
1338: A Son of a Byzantine Emperor Became an Italian Marquis
An Italian marquis of a very unusual origin died on this day. Namely, Marquis Theodore I of Montferrat was actually the son of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus. He therefore belonged to the famous dynasty of Palaeologus (Palaiologos),...
-
1791: James Buchanan: The President of the United States who was an Ambassador to the Russian Empire
James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, was born on this day in 1791. It is very interesting that had been the United States Ambassador to the Russian Empire a quarter of a century before he became the president. Buchanan was born in...
-
1661: The Origins of the Official Crown of the British Monarch
St. Edward’s Crown contains 444 precious gems and is made of pure gold. This day in 1661 marked the coronation of British king Charles II in the famous Westminster Abbey near London (unlike today, Westminster wasn’t officially part of London back the...
-
1982: Conch Republic Secedes from the United States and Declares Independence
On this day the tiny Conch Republic, located in southern Florida, declared independence from the United States. It is located around the city of Key West, which is the southernmost city in the mainland part of the entire United States. The size of th...
-
2005: First YouTube Video Uploaded
The video clip “Me at the zoo” lasts only 19 seconds and shows Jawed Karim’s visit to the San Diego zoo. The first video was uploaded to the YouTube internet service on this day in 2005. The clip is named “Me at the zoo” and can still be seen on the...
-
1949: The Netherlands Annex Part of Germany after World War II
After the end of World War II, plans existed to increase Dutch territory by 30 to 50 percent at the expense of Germany. On this day in 1949 the Netherlands annexed German territory next to the Dutch-German border. It was one of the territorial adjust...
-
1348: The Highest English Order of Chivalry – The Order of the Garter
The highest English order of chivalry – the Order of the Garter – was founded on this day in 1348. Specifically, St George’s Day falls on that day, and he is the patron of the Order and the whole of England (the English flag has the red cross of St....
-
Did you know people used to keep pigs on ships?
In older times, sea captains would sometimes keep pigs on board their ships. However, these animals were not meant for food. Namely, there was an old superstition that they would always swim towards the nearest shore in the event of a shipwreck. Ther...
-
1616: Did Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare Die the Same Day?
World Book Day is celebrated on this day because it was once thought that both Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616. However, while it was beleived that they both died on the same date, it was known that this didn’t actually...
-
1945: Hitler Dismisses the Powerful Marshal Hermann Goering
On this day in 1945, at the end of the World War II, an unusual incident occured and made Adolf Hitler remove his until-then closest associate Hermann Goering. Namely, Goering had an extraordinarily high position in the Nazi party long before it ca...