[i]

EMBRACING THE

Anniversaries of Notable People and Events,

IN

EVERY TIME AND PLACE AROUND THE WORLD,

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE PRESENT.

[ii]

[iii]

The goal of this work, as will be evident, is to compile significant events from each day of the year throughout history, as far as their dates can be verified, and to organize them chronologically. It's essential to keep it concise to fit within a manageable length. Therefore, summaries of the most notable figures are often limited to two or three lines, while lesser-known individuals sometimes receive more focus due to the lack of easy access to information about them in other sources.

The dates are believed to be accurate according to the best sources. Great care has been taken to ensure this, and nothing has been included without at least some authoritative backing. Occasionally, authors have disagreed on the days, months, and even years, making it necessary to reconcile such differences as best as possible. Much of this confusion comes from the calendar change; some authors follow the old style while others use the new style without clarifying which one they are using. Protestant countries didn’t all adopt the new style until 1777, about two centuries after Catholic authorities reformed the calendar. The Russians still use the Julian calendar, which means they are currently twelve days behind the actual date. Given these challenges, it’s difficult to guarantee complete accuracy in a work like this. However, the dates here have been adjusted to align with the new style as much as possible. In some cases where different dates are provided, and it's impossible to determine the correct one, the entry has been included under various days with cross-references. Unfortunately, repetitions have occurred, which were only identified during index preparation. Such errors are perpetuated by successive authors referencing an incorrect date, making them particularly hard to identify and, if suspected, not easily traceable to their source. When dates have been derived from calendars other than the Christian era, it should be understood that the corresponding day has been adjusted to fit our calendar, meaning perfect accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

It’s been said that geography and chronology are the eyes of history; by helping to advance one of these fields, the reader will find a wealth of facts that make this work beneficial for people of all ages and professions. A look at the index will provide a clearer view of the scope of the work.

[9]

154 B. C. It was established that the Roman consuls would always start their term on this day, and the years were named after them. On this occasion, they went in a formal procession to the Capitol to offer sacrifices to Jupiter Capitolinus; afterward, the Senate held an official meeting. Those who had held the consul position had a higher rank compared to the other senators. They were elected annually by the people until the reign of Tiberius, who decided that they should be chosen by the Senate. The last consul after whom the year was named was Barsilius, in the year 541, during the reign of Justinianus.

38. B. C. The Spanish era, or the era of the Cæsars, began in the year after Augustus conquered Spain. It was widely used in Africa, Spain, and the southern part of France; however, it was eliminated by one kingdom after another during the fourteenth century, and by Portugal in 1555.

404. Telemachus, or St. Almachus, whose story is the basis of Fenelon's famous work Telemaque, was martyred in Rome.

1109. The Festival of Fools was started in Paris and thrived for 240 years. This, along with the Lords of Misrule and the Abbots of Unreason, was definitely meant to mock the Druidic saturnalia.

1308. William Tell, the Swiss patriot, joined a group of his fellow countrymen today to fight against the tyranny of their oppressors.

1349. Edward III, king of England, defeated the French near Calais with a devastating loss for them.

1504. Birthday of Casper Cruciger, a versatile and diverse scholar, and a supporter of Luther. He died in 1548.

1515. Louis XII of France, nicknamed the father of the people, passed away. Despite the shortcomings of his education, which had been intentionally neglected, he became a wise and shrewd ruler who genuinely cared about the welfare and progress of his country. Although heavily involved in military conflicts, he refrained from overwhelming the people with taxes—showing himself to be economical, fair, and generous.

1513. Juan Diaz de Solis, sailing along the southern coast, discovered the entrance to a river on this day, which he then named Rio Janeiro.

1516. Juan Diaz de Solis returned to the Rio de Solis that he had discovered three years earlier. While trying to explore the land, he was killed by the natives, who, in view of the ship, dismembered his body, cooked it, and ate it. He was regarded as the best navigator in the world.

1523. Knights of Malta expelled from the island of Rhodes by the Turks.

1537. James V of Scotland married Magdalen, the daughter of Francis I of France.

1617. Henry Goltzius, a notable Dutch painter and engraver, passed away. His father was a glass painter who taught him the craft; however, it was Goltzius's own talent and hard work that elevated him to become one of the top artists of his time.

1618. The charter of the first New Netherland company expired due to its own limitations.

1618. Birthday of Bartholomew Esteban Murillo, the greatest of all Spanish painters. He worked for many years in the churches and convents of Seville, enriching them with his masterful artwork and earning himself a comfortable fortune. After being invited to Cadiz, he created his grand painting of St. Catharine; however, just as he was about to complete it, he was severely injured while on the scaffolding and passed away in Seville in 1682.

1630. Thomas Hobson, the famous [10]carrier of Cambridge, England, died. One of the most common sayings in England comes from him. He rented out horses to students and others, and his approach ensured each horse got equal time for both rest and work. So, when someone asked to rent a horse, only the one that had its proper amount of rest could be rented out. "This or none" was the response. Hence the phrase "Hobson's choice; this or none."

1644. Michob Ader, calling himself the Wandering Jew, showed up in Paris, creating quite a stir among everyone. He claimed to have lived for sixteen hundred years and to have traveled to every part of the world. The city's intellectuals came to see him, and there was no language he didn't know; he was also well-versed in the history of people and events from the time of Christ, which meant he was never thrown off by tricky questions and answered quickly and confidently. The scholars viewed him as either a fraud or insane, yet they left feeling confused and amazed.

1651. Charles II crowned king of Scotland at Scone.

1661. A parliament convened in Scotland.

1700. The Russians started their new year.

1715. William Wycherley died at 81, a prominent English playwright and comic poet.

1727. Claude Adrian Helvetius died; a famous Dutch doctor who gained recognition for introducing ipecacuanha for treating dysentery. He was appointed inspector general of military hospitals and passed away in London.

1729. There was a thick fog in London, people got lost in St. James' Park, and many fell into the canal.

1730. Samuel Sewall, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, passed away.

1731. Edward Cave published the first issue of the famous Gentleman's Magazine.

1748. Birthday of Godfrey Augustus Burger, a famous German poet, and the author of that quirky satire, Munchausen's Travels.

1748. John Bernouilli, a Swiss mathematician, passed away. He was born in Basel, Switzerland, and was initially trained to be a merchant, but later switched to studying medicine before finally focusing on mathematics, where he achieved significant success. He was a contemporary of Leibniz, De L'Hôpital, and Newton. His work in the field was tireless, and his writings include a vast amount of discoveries. However, the details of his personal life show an unusual level of bitterness and insincerity.

1752. The new style began on this day in England by act of parliament. (See March 25.)

1757. Calcutta fell to the British under Admiral Watson, Colonel Clive, and Captain Coote.

1761. A devastating hurricane struck the East Indies, damaging part of the British fleet; only 14 out of 1100 crew members from three of the lost ships were rescued.

1776. Norfolk Burned. Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, having abandoned the town and retreated on board his ships, became desperate for supplies; and when the Liverpool warship arrived, the residents refused to provide for his majesty's ships, leading to the town being set ablaze. The locals themselves destroyed the homes and farms near the water to cut off any resources for the ships.

1781. Revolt of the Pennsylvania line at Morristown, N. J. They had signed up for three years, and since that time was up, they wanted to be released.

1787. Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, passed away. He was from South Carolina, born in 1743, and educated in England; at twenty-two, he traveled around Europe. When the war broke out, he actively supported the colonies. In 1779, he made a name for himself defending Charleston against the British, who later devastated his plantation and looted his home, leading to significant property loss; the following year, he was captured. After the war ended, he returned to his hometown and spent the rest of his life living comfortably and thoughtfully—a model of personal wealth and public integrity; a strong patriot and a knowledgeable philanthropist.

1793. They started the Pennsylvania state canal at Conewago Falls, blasting seventeen rocks—one for each stockholder of the canal company.

1794. The French convention ended flogging in the army and navy and replaced it with other punishments that were more in line with the values of the time.

1794. Thomas Paine and Anacharsis Cloots were arrested by Robespierre’s order and taken to prison in Paris.

1797. Zemaun Shah made a grand entrance into Lahore, the capital of the Sikhs, where he gathered an army of 100,000 men with plans to march on Delhi.

1798. The Athenæum in Liverpool was opened.

[11]1799. The French kicked the king of Naples out of his capital and made him seek safety on a British warship, which took him to Palermo.

1801. Union of Great Britain with Ireland.

1801. Ceres was discovered by the astronomer Piazzi in Palermo.

1804. The large army that France sent against the Haitians was forced by misfortunes to retreat to Santo Domingo. The general and leaders of the Haitian army made a formal agreement in the name of the people of Haiti, renouncing all reliance on France, and appointed Dessalines, the senior general, as governor for life with very broad powers.

1806. The French republican calendar was abolished, and the Christian era along with the reformed calendar was restored.

1806. The elector of Württemberg was declared king of Swabia, and the elector of Bavaria was declared king of Bavaria.

1807. Curacoa gave up to the British led by Sir Charles Brisbane.

1810. During the year ending today, 2004 people died in Philadelphia; the population, including the Liberties, was about 100,000.

1810. Married in East Haddam, Conn., nine young women, the only ones eligible for marriage in the town at that time.

1811. Tortosa in Valencia surrendered to the French under Suchet, who took nearly 8,000 prisoners, 177 cannons, and a large amount of provisions.

1811. Hamburg officially added to France.

1811. Spanish cortes forbid the people from obeying any act of Ferdinand XII, while he is a prisoner of Bonaparte.

1813. Jean Mourtrie, a Frenchman, passed away at the age of 115. He was a tilemaker and continued working in his trade until he was 109. He was a model of honor and integrity; his cheerful nature made young people enjoy his company, and his gentle and steady temperament, along with his kind heart, earned him the affection of everyone who knew him.

1814. A thick fog in London, which started on December 27th, had reached its peak density, spreading seventy miles from the city. Many people lost their lives by falling into the river, canals, and other locations.

1814. The allied army entered France.

1814. American dragoons led by Capt. Stone moved toward Buffalo, along with Lieuts. Riddle, Totman, and Frazer from the United States regiment; as the militia withdrew, Totman was killed, and Riddle barely avoided capture.

1815. William Creech, bookseller and two-time lord provost of Edinburgh, passed away. He was a passionate writer.

1815. The British, led by Gen. Packenham, set up two 18-pound cannons against the Americans in New Orleans; they were silenced the same day. The Americans lost a boat filled with military supplies, resulting in 34 men killed or wounded, and two ammunition carts exploded due to rockets. Gen. Thomas joined Gen. Jackson that same day with 660 men from Baton Rouge.

1816. William Hillhouse passed away at the age of 88; he had been a member of the council and legislature of Connecticut for over 50 years.

1817. Martin Henry Klaproth, a German chemist and philosopher, died. He was born in Wernigerode in 1743 and worked as an apothecary until 1788, when he became the chemist for the Academy of Sciences in Berlin.

1817. The new Bank of the United States opened at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia; Wm. Jones was the president and Jonathan Smith was the cashier.

1818. William Harrod, an unusual bookseller in Leicestershire, passed away.

1823. The French language was removed from the law courts of Holland, where it had long been used and was common in society.

1825. Great Britain recognized the independence of the South American republics.

1835. Charles Lamb passed away. He was the author of the beautiful stories of Elia, which are widely admired. His amazing humor, imagination, sensitivity, and wit have given his essays a lasting quality. Improving the conditions of humanity was his main goal, and he was respected by all philanthropists.

1835. First daily newspaper in Buffalo, New York.

1837. Samuel Hulse passed away at Chelsea Hospital, England, where he had served as governor since 1820, at the age of 90. He joined the British army in 1761, and at the time of his death, he had been in military service for over seventy-five years, holding the rank of field marshal.

1837. Saphet in the Holy Land was almost destroyed by an earthquake. It's said that both this and a later tremor were predicted by a Walachian almanac maker.

1848. Girard College opened with fitting ceremonies in Philadelphia.

1848. The state of Maryland rejected renouncing its debt and started paying interest on its debt again at the Chesapeake Bank in Baltimore.

1852. Frederick Philips Robinson, an American officer, died at 89; he had been in the military for nearly 75 years.

1854. A major fire in Constantinople destroyed 400 houses, including [12]the homes of the Greek patriarch and the patriarch of Jerusalem.

17. Titus Livius died in Padua. He spent twenty years writing his history of Rome, which made him so famous that a Spaniard supposedly traveled from Cadiz to Rome just to see him. His history consists of 140 books, of which only 35 survive today. Five of these were found in Worms in 1731, and some fragments are said to have been discovered later in Herculaneum. Not many details about his life are known, but he was well-known even during his lifetime, and his work has ensured his legacy.

17. Publius Ovidus Naso, the Roman poet, died in exile at Tomos (a town on the harsh coast of the Black Sea), at the age of 60. He had an unstoppable passion for poetry and enjoyed the comforts of life that his wealth provided. He traveled through Greece and Asia, which enhanced his skills; his works were popular with the public, and he was respected by educated people: Horace and Virgil were his friends, and he was a welcome guest at the court of Augustus. Until he turned 50, he seemed to live almost entirely for poetry and pleasure. He might have hoped to spend the rest of his life peacefully, basking in his accomplishments, but he was abruptly banished by Augustus for reasons that remain unclear. His Metamorphoses and Art of Love are frequently reprinted in our language. He depicted nature with great skill, and his talent brought elegance to the ordinary; however, the impurity taints the sweetness of his verses, and his best works are marred by indecency.

1547. Conspiracy of Genoa, led by John Lewis Fiesco; his drowning at night caused the plan to fail at the very moment of success.

1604. The Jesuits are reinstated in France.

1731. A reprieve was sent to a prisoner at Newgate on the condition that he would allow Mr. Chiselden to conduct an experiment on the drum of his ear. The experiment was never carried out.

1741. John Barber, the printer for the city of London and the first printer to become mayor, passed away.

1757. The English recaptured Calcutta and allowed it to be fortified by the subah.

1758. The Whitefield Methodists celebrated this day in gratitude for the victories of the King of Prussia supporting England.

1759. The French unexpectedly took control of Frankfort on the Maine.

1766. James Edward Francis Stuart, the Pretender, passed away. He was the oldest son of James II, born in London in 1688. He was just five months old when his father was overthrown, and the royal family escaped to France. His older sister Anne later became queen, and there were attempts to ensure his succession, but it seems he wasn’t very enthusiastic about the plan.

1771. Lewis Cæsar, Count d'Estrees, Marshal of France, and Minister of State, died at the age of 76. He made a name for himself in the war against Spain and later in 1741, where his bravery stood out and his services were commendable. In 1756, he was appointed to lead the French forces in Germany but was replaced by Richelieu due to political maneuvering.

1774. The coffin of Edward I was opened by a group from the society of antiquarians after being buried for 467 years. Inside a yellow stone coffin, they found the royal body in perfect condition, wrapped in two layers; one was a shiny gold fabric that was well-preserved and fresh, while the outer layer was significantly decayed. The corpse was dressed in a lavish purple mantle lined with white, decorated with gold metal ornaments, and set with red and blue stones and pearls. Two similar ornaments rested on the hands. The mantle was secured at the right shoulder by an extravagant fibula made of the same metal, featuring the same stones and pearls. A fine silk covering, perfectly fitted to the face, preserved the features entirely. Around his temples was a gold coronet of fleur de lys. In his well-preserved hands were two golden sceptres; the one in his right hand topped with a cross fleure, and the one in his left adorned with three clusters of oak leaves and a dove on a globe. The feet, wrapped in the mantle and other coverings, were intact, with distinct toes. Its length was 6 feet 2 inches.

1777. Cannon fire at Trenton; the British were pushed back in their attempt to cross the Sanpink Creek bridge. During the night, General Washington withdrew, leaving his fires burning.

1780. The Dutch admiral, Count Byland, wouldn't let the British admiral, Fielding, search his convoy, which led to a conflict, and the Dutch ships, two ships of the line and two frigates, surrendered; after holding back seven of the convoy, the Dutch admiral was allowed to move on; but he refused without all of his cargo, so he sailed into Spithead.

1788. Georgia ratified the Constitution of the United States without any changes, becoming the fourth state to do so.

[13]1795. Josiah Wedgewood, the creator of the scale that is named after him in the thermometer used to measure various degrees of metal heat, passed away at his home in England.

1801. John Gasper Christian Lavater passed away. He was born in Zurich, Switzerland, where his father was a skilled and respected physician. In 1763, he traveled through Germany; in 1767, he debuted as a poet; and in 1769, he became a highly popular preacher. He dedicated all his efforts to religion until he began his work on physiognomy. This significant work, published in 4 volumes, showcased the features of prominent individuals from around the world, earning him recognition across Europe. He released several other works and gained such popularity that his travels resembled triumphal processions. When Zurich was captured by Massena, he was shot while helping the injured in the street. Although he survived for over a year and wrote several works, this injury ultimately led to his death.

1809. Two French warships and eleven supply ships, heading to Barcelona, were seized in the port of Caldagues by the British under Lord Cochrane.

1809. Penguin Island, at the Cape of Good Hope, sank and is now only known to sailors by name.

1810. Murat, king of Naples, received orders from Paris to capture and quickly sell off all American ships and their cargo.

1814. Danzig surrendered to the Duke of Württemberg.

1815. The prince regent of England expanded the military order of Bath and split it into three classes: 1. Knights grand crosses; 2. Knights commanders; 3. Companions.

1816. Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveau, a French chemist, passed away. He was born in Dijon in 1737 and made a name for himself in 1773 by inventing a method to purify air using chlorine. He was honest, skilled, eloquent, and a pragmatic businessman; he also established a school in Dijon for studying his beloved science, chemistry. During the revolution, he was a member of the national assembly and convention, and he helped establish the polytechnic school.

1827. John Mason Good, an English physician, poet, and writer on language, passed away. At 15, he started an apprenticeship with a surgeon; in 1793, he moved to London and, through talent and hard work, achieved both literary and professional recognition. He was a prolific writer, and the breadth and diversity of his works demonstrate immense diligence and a sharp, organized mind. He mastered thirteen languages from Europe and Asia, and at the time of his death, he had just finished translating the Psalms.

1829. Forty men and thirty horses were killed in an explosion of fire damp in a mine near Lyon, France.

1831. Berthold George Niebuhr, the historian, passed away. He was the son of Niebuhr the traveler, born in Copenhagen in 1777, and completed his education in Edinburgh. He traveled extensively and received significant attention wherever he went. In 1810, he gave lectures on Roman history in Berlin; and in 1815, after his father's death, he planned and published his biography. In 1827, he released the first volume of a revised edition of his Roman history; the second volume came out a few months before his death, leaving the third unpublished.

1835. Robert Hindmarsh, the most notable of those who backed the religious ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg, passed away in Gravesend.

1837. John Cuffee, an enslaved African man, died in Norfolk, VA, at the impressive age of around 120 years. He was originally from Africa, sold into slavery in Barbados, and brought to Norfolk around 1740.

1850. George Blatterman, a professor of modern languages at the University of Virginia, passed away in Charlottesville.

1853. A new and strict law against press freedom was issued in Spain.

1857. Andrew Ure, author of the Dictionary of Arts, passed away in London, at the age of 89.

456. B. C. Myronides the Athenian general defeated the Bœotians at Enophyta.

106. B. C. Birthday of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman speaker.

1641. Jeremiah Horrox, an English astronomer, passed away. He appears to have been the first to see the transit of Venus across the sun's disc, from which he made several valuable observations, although he did not realize the full significance of that event.

1661. Secretary Pepys watching the play Beggars' Bush performed at Lincoln Inn Fields, says: "And this is the first time I’ve ever seen women on stage."

1670. George Monk, duke of Albemarle, died. He joined the British army at a young age, and in 1639 was involved in the ill-fated mission of Charles I against the Scots. He spent three years in the Tower under Parliament, during which he wrote a piece on military and political issues; but eventually took a commission in the republican army [14]against the Irish, Scots, and Dutch. However, after the Protector's death, he used his influence to bring back the Stuarts. In 1666, he was again called upon to face the son of his old rival Tromp, resulting in significant damage to the English fleet, with both sides claiming victory.

1717. Lambert Boss, a notable Dutch philologist, passed away. He was born in Friesland in 1670; studied under his father, who was a clergyman, became a private tutor in a prestigious family, and later became a professor of Greek at the University of Franeker. He was an tireless student and regretted every moment that couldn't be spent on his favorite pursuit. The quantity and quality of his works highlight his dedication.

1724. Philip V of Spain stepped down from the throne for his son Louis; however, he died the same year, and Philip took back the crown.

1730. The Turks started to learn the art of war and fortification following the European model, from Count Bonneval of France, who converted to Islam.

1777. Battle of Princeton, N.J., between the British and a division of the American army, led by General Washington. The British lost 100 men, and 300 more who had taken refuge in the college were forced to surrender.

1795. Josiah Wedgewood died. His father was a potter from Staffordshire, whose business he took over, and he quickly made a name for himself through his innovations and advancements. Within a few years, England went from importing fine pottery to supplying it to neighboring countries. He was both scientific and an active, enterprising individual—and also very generous.

1797. Three of the large stones in the ancient pile at Stonehenge in England fell, the smallest of which weighed 20 tons. It was thought that they were loosened by the harsh frost of that season.

1805. Charles Townley, an English collector of antiques, passed away. He used his considerable wealth to gather rare manuscripts and pieces of ancient art, and he died at the age of 68, leaving his collection of antiquities to the British Museum.

1805. Alexander Wedderburn, the lord of Rosslyn, passed away. He made a name for himself as a lawyer and was appointed solicitor general in 1771, during which he is notable for having offended Franklin while discussing American issues before the privy council. He joined the administration under Pitt in 1793 and took over as chancellor from Lord Thurlow; he left that position in 1801 with the title of Earl of Rosslyn. He wrote a book on prison management.

1815. The British frigate Junon, Capt. C. Upton, captured the American privateer Guerrier, which had 4 guns and 60 men, from Portsmouth, N.H.

1844. Levi Hedge, author of a treatise on logic and editor of an improved abridgment of Dr. Brown's Lectures on the Philosophy of Mind, died in Cambridge, England.

1847. John Shepherd, a soldier from the revolution, passed away in Royalton, Ohio, at the age of 119.

1853. The Pantheon in Paris reopened as the Church of St. Genevieve.

100. Titus, a follower of St. Paul, died in Crete.

1569. Burial of Roger Ascham, at St. Sepulchre's, London. He was an educated man and the author of many works, including The Schoolmaster.

1649. Some barrels of gunpowder exploded and destroyed 60 houses on Tower Street, London. A child in its cradle was found alive and unharmed on the roof of Barking Church.

1689. Col. Henry Sloughter is appointed governor of New York.

1698. The palace, except for the banquet hall, of Whitehall Palace in England was destroyed by fire.

1707. Louis William I, Marquis of Baden-Baden, passed away. He was born in Paris in 1655, where his mother wanted to raise him; however, his father and grandfather took him away when he was just three months old so he could grow up among the people he was meant to lead. He fought in his first campaign under Montellucco against Turenne. He was in Vienna during its siege by the Turks and later led forces against them on the Danube. He was one of the greatest generals of his time, participating in 26 campaigns, commanding at 25 sieges, and fighting in 13 battles, yet he was never truly defeated.

1753. The first issue of The World was published, managed by Coleman, Bonnell Thornton, Chesterfield, and others.

1762. England declared war on Spain.

1773. The town meeting of Petersham, Mass., adopted a sort of manifesto of complaints, written by Josiah Quincy and signed by Sylvanus How.

1775. A letter from the British secretary of state was sent to the governors of the various colonies, banning the election of delegates to the Congress planned for May. The order was ignored, and the country [15]has had yearly sessions of Congress since 1774.

1778. The British, led by Col. Campbell, landed at the mouth of the Savannah River in Georgia and defeated the Americans under Gen. Robert Howe. They captured the city of Savannah, along with 38 officers, 415 soldiers, 48 cannons, 23 mortars, the fort, ammunition and supplies, the ships in the river, and a large amount of provisions.

1781. The British ship Courageux, captained by Phipps, captured the French frigate Minerva, which had 32 guns, in just one hour. Minerva had 50 killed and 23 wounded; Courageux had 10 killed and 7 wounded.

1784. Treaty signed between the United States and Great Britain; by which the latter gave up her claim to the sovereignty of the revolted colonies.

1789. Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, passed away. He was born in York, Virginia, in 1738. His father was a wealthy merchant who sent him to England for his education. He returned in 1761 and by 1774 had become a recognized statesman. Three years later, he was appointed brigadier general and commander in chief of the Virginia forces, and in 1781, he succeeded Jefferson as governor of the state. His contributions earned him public gratitude from Washington.

1793. The Alien bill passed in the British parliament. During the debate on this measure, the great Burke threw a Sheffield dagger on the floor to emphasize his speech.

1795. The French crossed the Waal near Bommel and took control of Tiel. They also captured Rosas and 540 soldiers from the garrison.

1796. Message from Gen. Washington to Congress, accompanied by the French flag presented by the Committee of Public Safety, which was stored among the archives.

1804. Charlotte Lenox, the well-known author of Female Quixotte, etc., died.

1814. John George Jacobi, a German poet, passed away. He was the son of a wealthy merchant, studied theology, and became a professor of theology and eloquence at Halle, where he published a magazine for women called the Iris. He later contributed to several other magazines. His works are published in 7 volumes.

1825. Ferdinand IV of Naples died. This prince’s life is notable for the unusual length of his reign and its many ups and downs, spanning 65 years and closely tied to all the major events in Europe over the last fifty years. He was born in 1751 and ascended to the throne at the age of eight. The first thirty years of his reign were marked by peace and happiness; however, in 1798, the country was invaded by Bonaparte, forcing Ferdinand to flee to Sicily. Later, in 1820, the Carbonari led a revolution that once again exiled the royal family. The Austrians intervened, though, restoring the old order, which lasted until the king's death four years later.

1827. James Chambers, an unusual poet, died in misery at a farmhouse in Stratbroke, England. From the age of 16 to 70, he traveled around the country, making a meager living by selling his own writings, of which he had a number printed cheaply. His poems were mostly inspired by his muse during the quiet of the night while resting in some friendly barn or hayloft. When struck by inspiration, he would get up and write down the words. Throughout his life, he lived in hopeless poverty, and he was a lonely wanderer who had no role in the ordinary life of the world.

1835. Thermometer 40 degrees below zero at Lebanon, NY, with the mercury freezing solid. It was extremely cold across the United States.

1843. Steven Thompson Mason, who was previously the governor of Michigan, passed away in New York at the age of 31.

1845. Benjamin Russell, mainly recognized as the editor of the Columbian Centinel, passed away in Boston.

1849. Samuel Jenkins, a Black man, died at Lancaster at the age of 115. He drove his master's supply wagon over the Alleghenies during Braddock's expedition and was believed to be the last survivor of that expedition.

1849. The town of Moultan in India, after a long siege, was captured by the British, but at a heavy cost.

1852. Eliot Walburton, a well-known author, died on the Amazon steamship while traveling from Southampton to the West Indies.

1853. Mr. Ingersoll, the American ambassador to England, was celebrated by the chamber of commerce in Liverpool.

1854. Albion College, Michigan, was destroyed by fire.

1856. Jean Pierre David, a renowned French sculptor, passed away in Paris at the age of 65.

62. B. C. Lucius Sergius Catiline, the Roman conspirator, killed in Etruria. His life story reveals a series of horrific crimes, though there’s reason to believe that some of them might be exaggerated. Murder, plunder, and arson were the first pleasures of his life. Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar supported his plans to serve their own interests. Only two Romans stood firm in their determination to save their crumbling country—Cato and Cicero. Cicero's speeches in the Roman Senate during this crisis are timeless examples of eloquence and patriotism, leading to the downfall of the conspirators. Five of them were executed, and when Catiline was cornered by Petreius's army, he chose to die fighting. The battle was fought fiercely, and the insurgents fell, with their leader among them.

1066. Edward the Confessor, king of England, died. He became king in 1041. He wasn't the direct heir, but his claim was backed by Godwin, the earl of Kent, whose daughter Editha he married. He was a weak and superstitious ruler and earned the title of Saint or Confessor by avoiding sexual relations with his queen. He was the first English monarch to try to cure the king's-evil by touching the person affected. His death marked the end of the Saxon line of kings.

1477. Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, was killed in battle on this day or shortly after. He was the son of Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal, and from a young age showed a violent, impulsive, and ambitious nature. Throughout his life, he was involved in unjust and brutal wars, where he undertook many daring feats. However, when he turned his forces against the Swiss, the tides of war turned against him; abandoned by his allies, he recklessly engaged in battle with only 4,000 men against a much larger army, was defeated, and was killed by a lance at the age of 44. His body, covered in blood and mud, with his head frozen in the ice, was not discovered until two days after the battle, and it was so mangled that even his own brother couldn't recognize it. With his death, the feudal government of Burgundy came to an end.

1531. The electoral college met in Rome and elected Ferdinand, the brother of Charles V, as king of the Romans. He was crowned a few days later in Aix-la-Chapelle.

1536. Catharine of Aragon, the rejected queen of Henry VIII, passed away. She was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, born in 1483. She first married Arthur, the prince of Wales, who died five months later; and since the king was unwilling to return her dowry, he arranged for her to marry his surviving son, Henry. The prince, at the age of 15, publicly protested this arrangement, but eventually agreed to the marriage. Despite the age difference and the king's unpredictable nature, they had been married for 20 years when the split occurred. This separation also led to a divorce from the pope and triggered significant repercussions.

1559. Catharine de Medicis died. She was born in Florence in 1519 and married the dauphin, who later became Henry II of France, in 1533. She served as regent of France three times and made a significant impact on European history with her political skills. She started the construction of the Tuileries Palace, but her most infamous legacy is the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, orchestrated through her schemes, where over 50,000 Protestants were killed in a single day.

1621. Paul Van Somer died in London. He was born in Antwerp in 1576 and became a highly skilled painter. He primarily focused on portraits of royal and notable figures and is said to have been on par with Vandyke.

1636. De Vries, who had just come from Holland as a patroon, sent his colonists to Staten Island from Fort Amsterdam to start the colony and build structures.

1675. Turenne defeated the imperial forces at Turkheim.

1705. Second volcanic eruption of the peak of Teneriffe, in the Almerchiga ravine, about a league from Icore. It ended on the 13th of the same month.

1722. Bell, the Traveler, arrived in Moscow on his way back from China. (See July 14, 1719.) The description of this journey, along with what he saw and learned in Beijing, is the most valuable section of his book and one of the most engaging and fascinating accounts ever written by any traveler.

1724. Czartan Petrarch died at the age of 184 in a village near Temeswar, Hungary. He was born in 1539, and when the Turks took Temeswar from the Christians, he was taking care of his father's cattle. A few days before his death, he walked to the post house with a stick to ask travelers for charity. His hair and beard were a greenish-white, resembling moldy bread, and he had a few remaining teeth and some ability to see. His son, who was 97 years old, said that his father married for the third time at a very old age and that he was born from this last marriage. He had descendants in the fifth generation, with whom he occasionally played, carrying them in his arms. Despite being 97, his son was still lively and strong. The [17]commandant of Temeswar, upon hearing of his illness, arranged for a portrait to be painted, which was nearly finished when he passed away.

1757. Damiens tried to assassinate Louis XV, for which he was sentenced to brutal torture and ultimately drawn and quartered by four horses. (See March 28.)

1764. A comet was first spotted at Tewkesbury, England, near two small stars in the hand of Bootes.

1776. The New Hampshire provincial convention decided to change the form of government.

1781. Arnold invaded Virginia with 1,500 British troops; he marched to Richmond, destroyed public supplies and buildings, the rope factory, and a lot of private property.

1781. The British ship Warwick, Capt. Elphinstone, captured the Dutch ship Rotterdam, armed with 50 guns and carrying 300 men; the first significant capture in that war.

1782. Trincomalee on the island of Ceylon was captured by the British under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes.

1783. Onore, located between Panian and Bombay, was captured by British General Matthews; the troops and many of the locals were brutally killed.

1795. The French attacked British General Dundas at Geldermalsem, forcing him to retreat to Buren; and later, the entire force of General Walmoden had to cross the Leck.

1795. The British ships Bellona and Alarm captured the French ship Le Dumas, which had 20 guns, off Deseada.

1796. Samuel Huntington, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, passed away. He was born in Windham, CT, in 1732. His father was a farmer and could only afford for him to have a basic school education, but his own hard work compensated for that lack. By the age of 22, he started studying law using borrowed books. In 1764, he was sent to the general assembly; in 1765, he was appointed king's attorney; in 1774, he was elevated to the supreme court bench; in 1775, he was sent as a delegate to the general congress of the colonies, and in 1779, he succeeded John Jay as president of congress. At the time of his death, he was the governor of Connecticut.

1797. British ship Polyphemus, Capt. Lumesdaine, captured the French ship L'Uranie, 38 guns, off Ireland.

1798. A bill passed the House in Congress that paid Kosciusko $12,800, and the four daughters of Count de Grasse $400 each per year for five years.

1799. Treaty of defensive alliance between England and Turkey.

1806. Breslaw gave up to the French led by Vandamme; Lieut. Gen. De Thile, Maj. Gen. Krafti, and 5,500 Prussians were captured.

1807. British sloop Nautilus, Capt. Palmer, wrecked on a rock near Peri, in the Seven Islands archipelago. The captain refused to abandon the ship and was lost at the age of 26.

1809. The British rear guard led by Sir John Moore was attacked by the French vanguard under Soult. General Colbert, age 30, was fatally wounded, and the French were forced to retreat.

1812. The French General Leval had to withdraw from the siege of Tariffa, which was defended by the British, Colonel Skerritt.

1814. Gluckstadt gave in to the British.

1814. British ships Bacchante and Saracen captured the fortress of Cattaro after a ten-day bombardment.

1827. Frederick, duke of York, died. He was the second son of George III, born in 1763; he took his seat in the House of Peers in 1787; in 1789, he fought a duel, firing his pistol in the air; in 1791, he married the eldest daughter of the King of Prussia, from whom he later separated; in 1793, he went to Flanders as the head of the British army, but ultimately proved unequal to the position; in 1809, the House of Commons held him accountable for the mistakes made in the army due to the influence of a female favorite; in 1818, he was appointed the keeper of his father, with a salary of £10,000. Despite enjoying princely salaries and pensions, he died widely mourned by his tailors and other creditors for amounts totaling several hundred thousand pounds.

1841. James Abraham Hillhouse, a notable American poet, passed away in New Haven, Ct., at the age of 51.

1845. The national debt of England was at this time £794,193,645.

1849. Dr. Locke of Ohio discovered the magnetic clock, which was announced to the Secretary of the Navy by Lieutenant Maury of the National Observatory.

1852. Eugene Levesque passed away in Paris at the age of 81; he was the author of travel accounts in America.

1852. Benjamin La Rochi died in Paris at the age of 54; he was a French translator of Shakespeare.

1852. Baron Kemenyi, a Hungarian leader known for his patriotism and actions in the fight against Austria and Russia, died at the age of 53.

1853. Charles W. Morgan, an American commodore, passed away at the age of 63. He was the nephew of General Morgan from the Revolution and made a name for himself in the battle between the Constitution and the Guerriere.

1853. Revolution in Mexico; General Arista resigned, and Cevallos was elected president temporarily.

[18]1854. The steamer San Francisco, which survived a strong storm, sank at sea. Out of 700 people on board, 247 had been thrown overboard before help arrived.

1855. Gen. Castilla defeated Pres. Echenique and entered Lima in triumph.

1855. The whole Victoria bridge over the St. Lawrence was swept away by the ice.

1402. Birthday of Joan of Arc.

1540. Henry VIII married Anne, the daughter of John, Duke of Cleves. This was his fourth wife. He proposed to her after seeing a portrait of her by Holbein; however, he became disgusted with her in six months, nicknaming her the Flanders mare, and sent her back home. She returned to her country, not too bothered, where she died in 1557.

1649. Anne of Austria, the queen regent of France, was forced to escape from Paris to St. Germain.

1698. Birthday of Metastasio, the famous Italian poet.

1711. Christopher Bateman, a well-known English bookseller, passed away. He did not allow anyone to open a book in his shop until it was purchased.

1724. The bishop of London gave a sermon against masquerades, which led to a rule stating that no more than six masquerades, the number already planned, should take place.

1725. Pope Benedict XIII, in full regalia and with a formal ceremony, opened with a golden hammer the holy gates of the four great churches that had been closed for 25 years, for the purpose of granting indulgences, etc.

1734. John Dennis, an English playwright and critic, died. He was the son of a saddler, born in London in 1657, and received a good education. His first play came out in 1697, followed by many other dramatic works and poems that were so unremarkable they earned him lasting infamy in the Dunciad, where Pope mocked him. He wasted a fortune left to him by an uncle and, unable to support himself through his pamphlets and magazine critiques, relied on his friends to get by; even those he had offended helped organize a benefit for him at the Haymarket theatre after he had gone blind and partially insane. One of his plays, which was poorly received, is known for introducing a new kind of thunder; a few nights after it premiered, the actors used this invention in Macbeth, at which point the author stood up in the audience and claimed it as his thunder. His thunder is said to be what is still used in theatres today.

1738. Jean Baptist Labat, a missionary and traveler, passed away. He was born in Paris in 1663 and became a Dominican priest in Norway, where he also taught mathematics and philosophy. In 1693, he set out for Martinique as a missionary; during several trips for the mission, he visited all the Antilles. When the English attacked the island of Guadeloupe, he provided significant engineering services to his country. He later traveled extensively in Europe and published accounts of his travels. His journey to the West Indies has been translated into several languages and is a genuinely scientific work.

1763. An unsuccessful and very disastrous attack by two English ships on Buenos Aires. The commodore and nearly 300 of the crew drowned.

1766. The wild man Peter captured in the Hartz forest and presented to George II was brought from Cheshunt and shown to George III and his queen. Like Shakespeare's Caliban, he could fetch wood and water but couldn't speak any language.

1777. The American army, led by Gen. Washington, settled into winter quarters in Morristown, N.J.

1781. Arnold sent Lieut. Col. Simcoe from Richmond to Westham, Va., where he destroyed the cannon factory and a stockpile of public supplies that had been moved from Richmond.

1785. The Halsewell, an East Indiaman ship, Capt. Richard Pearce, wrecked on the island of Purbeck; out of 240 people, only 74 were saved.

1794. The Duke of Brunswick stepped down from his position as the commander-in-chief of the coalition against France.

1795. The French frigate La Pique, armed with 33 guns, was captured off Marigalante by the British frigate Blanche, commanded by Captain Faulkner, who was shot through the heart; 7 of his crew were killed and 21 were wounded. La Pique suffered 76 killed, 113 wounded, and 30 were lost when her mast went overboard.

1810. James Richard Dacres died from falling off his horse. He was the vice-admiral of the Red and the father of Capt. Dacres, who was captured by Hull.

1813. Alexander issued his decree in Wilna, ordering the immediate laying of the foundation stone for a new church in Moscow, dedicated to Christ our Savior, as a lasting monument for future generations to commemorate Russia's liberation from the French and the loyalty of his people.

1816. Francis Norodsky, a Polish gentleman, passed away in Warsaw at the age of 125. The Polish government granted him a pension of 3000 florins, which Emperor Alexander continued until his death.

[19]1817. General Thomas died in Milledgeville, Georgia, from mouth cancer.

1823. The siege of Missolonghi was lifted. Mavrocordato, the commander in chief, entered the town on November 5th with 380 men, including 22 Suliots led by Marco Botzaris. Despite being almost out of artillery and ammunition, they defended it against the Turkish forces. On November 23rd, it was relieved by sea, and the enemy was pushed back in several attacks before they finally retreated from the walls.

1831. Died in Geneva, Rodolphe Kreutzer, a renowned violinist and music composer.

1836. Abraham van Vechten died in Albany at 75. He was a well-respected individual, a prominent lawyer, and one of the founding figures of the New York bar.

1839. A huge storm or hurricane in the west of England caused significant damage in Liverpool.

1840. Madame D'Arblay, the famous novelist Miss Burney, passed away in Bath. Lord Chancellor Thurlow remarked that her Cecilia was worth all the books in his library.

1841. Major flooding in the Hudson River and its tributaries.

1849. George Sinnet, a German native and the last surviving member of Gen. Wolfe's army, passed away in Brighton, Nova Scotia, at the age of 120.

1854. Russians defeated at Citale, near Kalafat, with a loss of 2,500 men.

1328. Edward II of England was removed from power by parliament, and his son, Edward III, was proclaimed king.

1558. Calais, in France, was recaptured by the French after a brief siege of one week. It had been held by the English for 200 years, during which it became a bustling location and a center for a significant wool trade.

1610. Galileo discovered Jupiter's moons.

1657. Theophilus Eaton, the first governor of the colony at New Haven, passed away. Before arriving in America, he worked as an agent for the king at the court of Denmark. He was one of the original patentees of Massachusetts. When New Haven was settled, he was selected as governor, a position for which his integrity, dignity, and wisdom made him particularly suited, and he held that office until his death.

1681. The common people of England decided that until a law was passed to exclude the Duke of York from the throne, no financial support could be granted without putting the state at risk.

1692. The philosopher Robert Boyle died, leaving behind some money for a monthly sermon against atheism.

1715. Francois de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon passed away. He delivered his first sermon at just 15 years old and was known for his knowledge and devotion. The famous novel, Telemaque, was published against his wishes due to the betrayal of his servant, which caused him trouble with the king, who viewed it as a criticism of his rule. During the revolution of 1793, his coffin was exhumed to retrieve lead for bullets. In 1819, a monument was built in his honor through public donations, and in 1826, a statue by the sculptor David was installed in Cambray. The era he lived in failed to recognize his true value.

1740. A rock fell on a large group of young people who were playing on the first Monday of the year in Kirkaldy, Scotland.

1758. Allan Ramsay, a Scottish poet and author of the Gentle Shepherd, passed away.

1767. Thomas Clap, an American mathematician and natural philosopher, died. He graduated from Harvard College and, through remarkable dedication, gained extensive knowledge in nearly every field of study. In 1739, he was elected president of Yale College and held that position until the year before his death. He built the first orrery in America.

1779. Lafayette set sail from Boston on the frigate Alliance, heading to France.

1779. The Mirror was published in Edinburgh, with Mackenzie, the novelist, as a key contributor.

1782. The Bank of North America opened for business in Philadelphia. It was the first bank officially established in America.

1785. Mr. Blanchard, the balloonist, along with Mr. Jeffries, an American gentleman, made the daring attempt to fly across the English Channel from Dover to Calais in a balloon filled with flammable air, which was just starting to be used at that time. They took off from the English coast at 10 o'clock and arrived on the French side at half-past two, covering a distance of twenty-three miles.

1798. The French army led by General Menard entered Switzerland with the aim of reshaping the cantons to mirror the French republic.

1806. Paulinus, better known as John Philip Werdin, died in Rome. He was one of the first Europeans to learn the Sanskrit language.

1807. The British order in council prohibited neutral countries from trading between any ports in France or her allies, or to any other places where Great Britain was denied that privilege.

[20]1811. The ship Rapid from Boston, captained by Dorr, lost everything off the coast of New Holland, with $280,000 on board; the captain and crew were rescued.

1812. Joseph Dennie, an American editor, passed away. He was born in Boston in 1768 and was educated to become a lawyer; however, his passion for literature got in the way of his career, leading him to quit and start a weekly paper in Boston called The Tablet. He later edited the Farmer's Museum in Walpole, where he published a series of popular essays under the pen name The Lay Preacher. He then became the editor of the Port Folio in Philadelphia, where his exceptional talents could have given him financial stability, but unfortunate habits undermined his health and happiness.

1817. First newspaper in Chautauqua County, NY.

1822. Liberia in Africa was colonized under the guidance of Dr. Ayres. The American Colonization Society purchased Cape Montserado and a large surrounding area from the natives, and a settlement was started by 28 colonists; in six years, the population grew to 1,200 under the supervision of Ashmun.

1830. Thomas Lawrence, a renowned English portrait painter, passed away. Through hard work and tremendous talent, he advanced in his career, and following the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds, he became the king's painter and was knighted in 1815. For the last twenty years of his life, he earned between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds; however, he died impoverished, having bought the finest works at exorbitant prices.

1841. Louis Edward Bignon, the historian of Napoleon Bonaparte, passed away.

1843. Mrs. Wingate, passed away in Stratham, N.H., at nearly 101 years old.

1850. John H. Kyan, originally from England and the inventor of Kyanized wood, passed away in New York.

1850. Samuel Miller, a prominent American theologian and former president of Princeton College, passed away at the age of 91.

1167. Edgar, king of Scotland, died and was succeeded by his younger brother, Alexander I.

1536. Catharine of Aragon, died; queen of Henry VIII and mother of Mary, queen of England.

1642. Galileo Galilei, the astronomer, passed away at the age of 78.

1676. French Admiral Duquesne defeated the Dutch and Spanish fleets under De Ruyter, who had both legs broken.

1704. Laurentio Bellini, a Florentine anatomist, died at the age of 61. He was highly regarded by both royalty and the church. His theories and practices are now outdated, along with his works, due to the significant advancements in medicine and surgery since his time.

1775. John Baskerville, an English printer and type founder, known for his exceptional reputation, passed away. He was also recognized as a philanthropist in many circles.

1777. The British evacuated Elizabethtown, N.J.; General Maxwell attacked their rear and captured 70 prisoners along with a schooner full of supplies.

1780. British Admiral Rodney captured 22 Spanish ships. One of these, the Guipuscaio, armed with 64 guns, was named the Prince William, after a son of George III who was present during the engagement.

1784. Whitestown, NY, was established around this time.

1795. The French ship Esperance, armed with 22 guns, was captured off Cape Henry by the British ship Argonaut, commanded by Captain Ball.

1796. Samuel Huntingdon, the governor of Connecticut and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, passed away at the age of 64.

1796. The French surprised the British camp at Mount William, on the island of St. Vincent in the West Indies. The British lost 54 killed, Brig. Gen. Strutt, 109 wounded, and 200 missing.

1799. The French privateer cutter La Rancune, from St. Malo, was captured by the British cutter Pigmy, Capt. Shepheard, who simultaneously recaptured two British brigs that were prizes of La Rancune.

1815. Battle of New Orleans. The city was attacked by the British led by Packenham, who had 15,000 trained soldiers, while it was defended by 6,000 militia and volunteers under Gen. Jackson, ready to die for its defense. The outcome was a stunning victory for the Americans. Packenham was killed, and 5,000 men surrendered—the rest fled to their ships. The American losses were minimal, with 13 killed and wounded, while the British lost 2,600.

1815. Total loss of the Americans in this war up to the last battle: 1,344 killed, 2,673 wounded, 651 missing, 1,351 taken prisoner.

1817. Two earthquakes were felt in Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

1825. Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, passed away.

1848. Thirty people lost their lives when the boilers of the steamer Blue Ridge burst on the Ohio River. The boilers had been in use for nine years.

1849. The pope warned that anyone who participated in electing a new assembly would be excommunicated.

[21]1850. The first ship in the United States dry dock in Brooklyn.

1853. Charles Humphrey Atherton, a prominent lawyer from New Hampshire, passed away at the age of 79.

1854. William Carr Berresford, a notable British field officer and nobleman, passed away at the age of 85.

1854. Metropolitan Hall and Lafarge Hotel, two of the best buildings in New York, were destroyed by fire.

1514. Anne of Brittany, queen of France, died at the age of 37.

1584. William Carter, a bold printer from London, was hanged, disemboweled, and quartered at Tyburn for printing obscene pamphlets, Catholic materials, and especially a Treatise on Schisme.

1596. Francis Drake, the English navigator, passed away. He served commendably under his relative Sir J. Hawkins; and after losing all his property in a battle with the Spaniards, he developed a deep-seated hatred for them. He distinguished himself in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and ultimately died off the coast of America in a conflict against Spanish settlements. He made the first voyage around the world. He is credited with bringing the potato to Europe. The date of his death is reported differently.

1621. The Plymouth colonists started building their planned town, which they arranged in two rows of houses for added security. The same street still exists, leading to the waterfront.

1658. Birthday of Nicholas Couston, a renowned French sculptor, whose work gave a significant boost to the art of statuary. He passed away in Paris in 1733.

1757. Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, a well-known French author, passed away. He was born in Rouen in 1657; his mother was Corneille's sister. While his works have become outdated due to the progress of science, no scholar had a greater impact on his contemporary era than Fontenelle.

1766. Thomas Birch, an English historian and biographer, passed away. He came from Quaker parents and educated himself through tireless effort. His literary contributions were immense, made possible by his early rising and strict time management. He left his library to the British Museum; it included an astonishing number of Manuscripts. in his own handwriting.

1770. Catharine Talbot, author of Reflections on the Seven Days of the Week, and a contributor to the Rambler, passed away.

1779. John Reinhold Foster, author of Northern Voyages, who circled the globe with Cook, died at the age of 70.

1788. Connecticut, the fifth state to adopt the Constitution of the United States without any amendments.

1792. Peace treaty signed in Jassy between Russia and Turkey.

1793. Mr. Blanchard, the French aeronaut, made the first balloon ascent in the United States, in Philadelphia, in front of General Washington.

1795. Thiel in Holland captured by the French under Macdonald.

1799. The habeas corpus act was suspended in Great Britain.

1805. Noble Wimberly Jones, a notable figure of the revolution, passed away. He arrived in America with Gen. Oglethorpe and was a practicing physician in Savannah when the war started. He was elected to the Georgia legislature several times before returning to his medical practice at the request of many of his former patients.

1809. Congress enacted laws to uphold the embargo.

1810. The Diocesan court of the officiality of Paris declared the marriage between Bonaparte and Josephine null and void.

1811. The Spanish cortes released a manifesto stating their decision not to agree to a treaty with Bonaparte until his troops had completely left the Peninsula.

1811. The entire militia of New Orleans was called into immediate action by Gov. Claiborne to put down a slave uprising.

1812. Valentia in Spain surrendered to the French led by Suchet, with 374 cannons, 18,000 troops, and supplies of all kinds.

1813. British manifesto against the United States.

1815. Ceasefire between Gen. Jackson and Gen. Lambert to bury the dead from the battle the day before.

1815. The British started bombing the American fort St. Philip, which was defended by Major Overton, and this continued daily until the 17th.

1816. A society established in Trenton, N.J., for the purpose of creating a colony for black individuals.

1818. Old John died. For eighty years, from Walpole's premiership to Liverpool's, he worked as a messenger in the Royal printing office in London. He referred to himself as the King's messenger.

1827. Elizabeth Ogilvy Benger, an English author, passed away. At the age of 13, she wrote a poem and later tried her hand at writing plays. Her reputation is [22]based on her Historical Biographies, which were originally published in 10 volumes.

1828. Francis de Neufchateau, a French politician, died. He was born in 1750 and published a book of poems when he was just 13, which showed more promise for the future than what actually happened. He got involved in the revolution but was criticized for being too moderate. Napoleon favored him, but his main interests were in literature.

1843. A major fire broke out in Port-au-Prince; 600 houses were burned down and a huge amount of property was destroyed. The black residents from the mountains rushed down and finished the job of destruction by setting fire to and looting the houses that had escaped the flames, committing all kinds of atrocities.

1854. The Astor library in New York opened its doors to the public.

1640. Maurice Abbot, a prominent London merchant, passed away. He gained significant influence through his own hard work in business and was involved in founding the settlement of Virginia in 1624. At the time of his death, he was the mayor of London.

1645. William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, was beheaded on Tower Hill at age 70. He was originally sentenced to be hung for political offenses but was pardoned by the king; however, parliament overruled the pardon and instead granted him the privilege of being beheaded instead of hung. He gained such significant influence over Charles that it led the king, due to his easygoing nature, into actions that ultimately proved disastrous for him. Four years later, he faced a similar fate at Whitehall, losing his kingdom.

1661. A proclamation issued by the king of England banning gatherings for religious meetings.

1661. The Fifth Monarchists, led by Venner, a wine cooper, rose up to declare "King Jesus against all the powers of the earth." However, King Charles's power proved too strong for them.

1754. Edward Cave passed away, an English printer and the founder of the Gentleman's Magazine. Once his time as a printer's apprentice was up, he worked at the post office and spent his free time writing for newspapers. The Magazine was first published in 1731 and has continued to thrive for over a century, surviving amidst a multitude of magazines that have since disappeared; it is one of the most successful and profitable periodicals recorded in history.

1756. Francois, Marquis de Beauharnois, died in Paris. He was a member of the national assembly and was favored by the king; later, he joined the army under Conde and was exiled by Napoleon in 1807. The courageous wife of Lavalette was his daughter.

1757. The British, led by Admiral Watson, captured Houghley in an assault, located about thirty miles north of Calcutta.

1761. Edward Boscawen, the English admiral, died. He was born in 1711 and joined the navy at a young age. He gained honorable recognition under Vernon and later distinguished himself in many significant battles against the French, where he uniquely captured the French commander, M. Hoquait, as a prisoner three times: in 1744, 1747, and 1755. Upon returning to England in 1759, after defeating the Toulon fleet in the Mediterranean, he was awarded a pension of £3000 a year.

1763. Casper Abel, an extensive German historian and antiquarian, passed away.

1765. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament. Little did they anticipate the consequences that were to follow their decision on that issue.

1776. The New Hampshire convention disbanded and took on legislative powers, appointed twelve counselors as an executive branch, and selected delegates for Congress, which were acknowledged.

1782. George Costard died. He was a scholar in classical studies, mathematics, and Oriental studies, and his reputation as an author mainly comes from his History of Astronomy, which was highly valued in Europe.

1791. Vermont, the last of the thirteen original states that made up the Union, adopted the constitution and took its place in the confederacy.

1795. The French frigate Iphigenie, with 32 guns, was captured by the Spanish fleet off the coast of Catalonia.

1797. French sloop Atalante, 16 guns, was captured off Scilly by the British frigate Phœbe, 36 guns, Capt. Barlow.

1800. The first soup kitchen for the needy was opened in Spitalfields, London.

1806. The Dutch handed over the Cape of Good Hope to the British.

1808. Phillips Cosby, British admiral of the Red, passed away at 78 years old.

1809. The British captured Samana, along with two privateers and four ships loaded with coffee.

1812. London was wrapped in thick darkness for several hours. The sky, where any light managed to break through, appeared bronze in color. This was the result of a cloud of smoke that, due to the unusual state of the atmosphere, wouldn’t clear away. If it weren't for the unique movement of the atmosphere, this city with its hundred thousand chimneys would be nearly unlivable in winter.

1815. The British, led by Gen. Lambert, having given up on their mission in New Orleans, started to re-load their artillery and supplies, getting ready for a complete retreat.

1816. The schooner Eliza was shipwrecked near Newport; the captain and crew were rescued by Com. Perry, who, along with some of the crew from the frigate Java, traveled five miles in a boat to help them.

1824. Thomas Edward Bowditch, the African traveler, died. He traveled to Africa at the age of 21 and participated in a series of expeditions into the region. In 1822, he left England with the intention of dedicating himself to exploring the African continent. He had just reached the mouth of the Gambia when an illness caused by exhaustion and mental stress ended his life.

1833. Adrien Marie Legendre, renowned for being an exceptional mathematician, passed away in Paris. His contributions to geometry are widely utilized.

1840. The uniform penny postage started in England; the number of letters sent from London on this day was 112,000; the average for January 1839 was 30,000.

1840. Battle between the Russian and Khivian cavalry; the latter, led by the khan himself, were completely defeated and chased all the way to the city of Khiva.

1848. Miss Caroline Herschel, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, London, passed away in Hanover.

1855. Mary Russel Mitford passed away at the age of 68; a notable English writer.

1856. Thomas H. Perkins, a wealthy and progressive Boston merchant, passed away at the age of 89. His was the first American company involved in the China trade.

395. Theodosius the Great, emperor of Rome, died. He was born around the year 346, and when he became emperor, he stood out for his strong beliefs and his fervor against heresy and paganism. His public and private virtues, which earned him the title The Great, hardly justify the intensity of his intolerance or the brutality of his anger and desire for revenge.

1569. The first English lottery was held in London. It ran for four months, both day and night. The prizes included cash, silverware, and goods. It had been promoted for two years prior to its launch.

1698. Peter, the czar of Russia, arrived in England and worked as a mechanic in the dockyard at Deptford, as well as in the workshops of various craftsmen, with the aim of bringing English skills back to his own country. He was warmly welcomed by William III.

1751. A round glass bottle was made in Leith measuring 40 by 42 inches, the largest ever made in Britain.

1753. Sir Hans Sloane, the renowned English naturalist, passed away at 93. He was born in Killileagh, Ireland; studied medicine in London, and established his medical practice there. He was the second intellectual to be drawn to America by science. He left his museum, filled with the rarest natural specimens, to the public on the condition that £20,000 would be paid annually to his family, which became the foundation of the British Museum.

1775. The first provincial congress of South Carolina gathered in Charleston.

1778. Charles Linne (or Linnæus), the Swedish botanist, passed away at the age of 71. At 24, he came up with the idea for a new way to categorize plants, known as a sexual system of botany. In 1732, the Academy of Sciences in Uppsala allocated 50 Swedish dollars to send him on a trip through Lapland, and with that modest amount, he traveled over 3,500 miles alone, crossing the Lapland wilderness and facing many challenges. He received a series of positions and honors, culminating in 1753 when he was named a Knight of the Polar Star, an honor that had never been granted to a writer before; in 1761, he was raised to the nobility.

1778. A collection totaling £3815 was gathered for the 924 American prisoners in England. Dr. Franklin, in Paris, requested the British ambassador to consider a prisoner exchange, but his lordship was only willing to respond with the following: "no application received from rebels unless they come to implore his majesty's pardon."

1782. Ostenburg, near Trincomalee, on the island of Ceylon, was captured from the Dutch by British Admiral Hughes.

1795. The French, led by Pichegru, crossed the Waal on the ice at various locations.

1800. William Newcome, archbishop of Armagh, passed away at the age of 79. He steadily advanced in the church to become the highest-ranking official in Ireland; he was a respectable man and the author of numerous theological works.

1801. Cimarosa, the famous Italian composer, passed away.

1803. The Hindostan, an East India ship, wrecked on the Culvers, near Margate, during a terrible storm.

[24]1805. Letters of marque and reprisal issued by Great Britain against Spain.

1807. Breig in Silesia surrendered to the French and Bavarians; 3 generals, 1400 Prussians, and a substantial amount of supplies were captured.

1810. During the night, the mercury in three thermometers froze in Moscow and retracted into the bulb. In Iraish, it was recorded at -44½° Fahrenheit right before it froze.

1811. Marie Joseph de Chenier, a French poet, died. By appealing to the emotions of the people, he quickly became very popular, and during the revolution, he was one of the most intense supporters of democracy.

1815. Cumberland Island, Georgia, was occupied by Capt. Barrie of the British ship Dragon. On the same day, the British sloop of war, Barbadoes, commanded by Capt. Fleming, captured the privateer schooner Fox, which had 7 guns and 72 men from Wilmington.

1817. Timothy Dwight, president of Yale College, died at the age of 65. He started at Yale when he was 13 and became a tutor at 19. After his health started to decline, he followed his doctors' advice and traveled, walking 2,000 miles and riding 3,000 miles over the course of a year. This completely restored his health. His published works include theology, poetry, and travel writings. His biography is fascinating; he was a truly remarkable individual.

1829. Gregorio Funes, a patriot from La Plata, died in Buenos Aires. He was heavily involved in the South American revolution from the beginning. He was also a writer.

1839. Alexander Coffin, the last living member of the original owners who established the city of Hudson in 1784, passed away at the age of 99. He was well-regarded for his skills, honesty, and contributions.

1839. An earthquake hit Martinique, causing significant destruction, especially in Fort Royal, where only 18 out of 1,700 houses remained standing, and 900 people were rescued from the debris.

1843. Francis S. Key, the U.S. district attorney and author of the national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, passed away in Baltimore.

1853. Russia, Austria, and Prussia, after significant delays, finally recognize Napoleon III as the emperor of France.

1853. The steamship Ericsson took her trial trip from New York to the Potomac.

400. B. C. Xenophon, with the 10,000, made their way through the mountain passes of Armenia.

1519. Maximilian I, emperor of Germany, died. He was elected king of the Romans in 1486 and became emperor in 1493. During his reign, the Turks were held back in their efforts against Germany and were pushed out of his ancestral lands.

1598. The Marquis De la Roche got a mission from Henry IV to conquer Canada. He left France with a group of convicts from the prisons. He dropped them off on the Isle of Sable and then headed to Acadie, from where he went back to France. Seven years later, the twelve survivors of the colony were rescued and presented to the king in their sealskin outfits and long beards. He gave them fifty crowns each and forgave their crimes.

1640. A four-day battle took place near the Island Tamaraca, Brazil, between the Dutch and Portuguese, where the Portuguese were defeated and the Dutch admiral was killed.

1678. A surprising darkness at noon in England.

1777. General Mercer died from his injuries sustained in the battle of Princeton.

1781. The States General of Holland issued letters of marque and reprisal against England.

1793. Arthur Lee, a prominent American politician, passed away in Urbana, Va. His years of dedicated service to his country during the challenging fight for independence, both as an ambassador and a statesman, are well-known and widely recognized.

1794. John George Adam Forster died at the age of 40. He was of Scottish descent, born in Prussia, studied in St. Petersburg, taught German and French in England, joined Cook on his voyage around the world, accepted a position as a natural history professor in Hesse Cassel, and was appointed historiographer for a Russian expedition around the globe. This project was interrupted by the Turkish war, so he went to Germany and was in Mainz when the French took the city in 1792. The republicans sent him to propose a union of the city with France. While he was away, the Prussians recaptured the city, causing him to lose all his property, including his books and papers, and he died soon after. The Germans consider him one of their classic writers.

1795. Due to a significant thaw, the communication between the main French army under Pichegru and the four divisions that crossed the Waal the day before on the ice was completely disrupted for two days.

1795. Mr. Pitt suggested in the British Parliament that the government should offer a financial incentive to large families.

[25]1805. The British frigate Doris, commanded by Captain Campbell, was wrecked on Diamond Rock in Quiberon Bay. The crew managed to escape and detonated the frigate.

1805. The thermometer in Danbury, CT, dropped to 19° below zero, marking the coldest weather recorded there since 1780.

1807. A deadly explosion in Leyden, Holland. A ship holding 40,000 pounds of gunpowder, docked in front of Prof. Rau's house, went off with a massive blast. More than 200 houses were destroyed, along with churches and public buildings, resulting in 150 deaths and 2,000 injuries.

1809. Cayenne was surrendered by the French to the British and the Portuguese under Captain Yeo.

1815. National fast in the United States.

857. Ethelwulf, son of Egbert, often referred to as the first king of England, passed away. During his reign, the tax known as Peter's pence was collected.

1399. The Tartars, led by Tamerlane, looted the imperial city of Delhi, and two days later indiscriminately killed the entire Indian population.

1400. Richard II of England was murdered. He became king at the age of 11, and after a chaotic reign of 22 years, he was ousted and imprisoned.

1404. It was established at this brief parliament of Henry's that no chemist shall use their skills to create more gold or silver.

1560. John de Lasci, an educated Pole, passed away.

1618. Galileo discovered Jupiter's fourth moon.

1669. John Bochius, a Dutch poet, died. He was skilled in Latin and is known as the Virgil of the Low Countries.

1691. George Fox, founder of the Quaker movement, died at 67 years old. His father was a poor weaver, and George was apprenticed to a shoemaker; however, he left that job and traveled around the country in a leather jacket, eventually becoming a teacher. He visited various countries and was pleased to see his beliefs take hold during his lifetime.

1705. A house in London where fireworks were made exploded, destroying 120 houses and killing 50 people.

1711. The final issue of the Tatler was published (No. 271).

1715. Massive fire on Thames Street, London; many lives were lost.

1716. Elizabeth Patch died in Salem; she was the first female born in the old colony of Massachusetts.

1717. Maria Sybilla Merian, the renowned painter and author on entomology, passed away in Amsterdam.

1738. The well-known Pardo convention was signed.

1759. Execution of the conspirators against the life of the King of Portugal. The entire family of the Marquis Tavora was executed, and their name was erased from history forever.

1797. The British ships Indefatigable, carrying 44 guns, and Amazon, with 42 guns, engaged in a six-hour night battle in the bay of Audierne against the French 74-gun ship Les Droits des Hommes, which had a crew of 1600. The French ship was forced ashore, and its crew was taken prisoner; General Renier and 750 men were lost in the fight. The Amazon was also lost during the engagement.

1798. Lieut. Lord Camelford shot Lieut. Charles Peterson at English Harbor, Antigua, for disobeying orders, and was later tried and found not guilty.

1798. The Swiss cantons prepared for war against France.

1809. The French led by Marshal Victor defeated the Spanish commanded by Castanos at Cuenca.

1811. The British merchant ship Cumberland, Captain Barrat, fended off 4 French privateers and captured 170 men who had boarded her.

1814. The British and Prussians were pushed back in an attack on Antwerp; some of the suburbs were set on fire.

1814. The emperor of Russia and the king of Prussia crossed the Rhine to invade France; the emperor of Austria, who had arrived the evening before in Cassel, went out to meet them, and they entered Basel, in Switzerland.

1814. General thanksgiving across Great Britain for the victories achieved over Bonaparte.

1814. Capt. Barrie of the British ship Dragon captured the fort at Point Peter and the tower of St. Mary's in Georgia; they later destroyed the fort.

1817. The ship Georgianna from Norfolk felt a massive jolt in the Gulf Stream, thought to be caused by an earthquake; it was a calm day.

1822. Johann Gottlieb Schneider, a German scholar and naturalist, died at the age of 72; he was a prolific writer.

1836. Karl Chr. Traug. Tauchnitz, a prominent German printer, passed away at the age of 75. At 35, he started his own business with just one press; however, his company quickly grew to be quite large, including a type foundry and bookstore. He was incredibly dedicated to enhancing and perfecting everything he worked on, as his publications show. His collection of oriental typefaces was unmatched in Germany.

1838. Chancellor Eldon passed away.

[26]1840. The steamboat Lexington caught fire while traveling from New York to Stonington. Out of 145 people on board, only four survived. Among the victims were many respected and valuable members of society.

1848. A tough battle happened at Chillianwallah between the British and Sikh forces, but it ended without any clear outcome.

1854 An earthquake in Finana, Spain, brought down the Alcazaba, an ancient Moorish castle, flattened houses, opened up cracks in the streets, and resulted in loss of life.

1526. Treaty of Madrid between Emperor Charles V and Francis I of France, through which Francis I regained his freedom.

1604. The bishops and Puritans had a meeting at Hampton Court with King James present.

1611. Edward Bruce, a Scottish politician, passed away. He held some of the highest positions in the government, and his contributions were crucial in ensuring that James smoothly ascended to the English throne.

1622. Pietro Sarpi, commonly known as Father Paul of Venice, passed away at the age of 90. He spent the later part of his life writing a history of the Council of Trent, where he detailed the intrigues involved with the events of that notable assembly with a level of courage and accuracy that makes the work one of the most engaging and significant in its category.

1634. Of the seven sailors left at Spitzbergen in the fall of 1633 by the Dutch fishermen to spend the winter there, the first of them died. The journal they kept states that they searched in vain for green herbs, bears, and foxes in that desolate place. In November, scurvy showed up among them. Their journal ended on February 26, and when their countrymen returned in the spring, they found them all dead. (See April 16.)

1696. Marie de Rabutin Sevigne, a noble French woman, passed away at the age of 70. Her Letters (11 vols. 8vo.) are examples of excellent letter-writing style and have been translated into English.

1738. The well-known Pardo convention was signed.

1739. The pope issued a decree against the gatherings of freemasons, threatening punishment by torture and sentencing to the galleys.

1742. Edmund Halley, the astronomer, died at the age of 86. He dedicated himself to mathematics with great success and spent a lot of time overseas conducting astronomical observations and experiments. His work in astronomy significantly contributed to advancements in navigation.

1753. George Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne in Ireland, died at the age of 85. He began writing before he turned twenty. He spent seven years and a significant portion of his wealth trying to set up a college in Bermuda to educate Indian preachers, but it didn't succeed. He published several works on philosophy, math, and theology, and is said to have been knowledgeable in almost every field of human understanding.

1781. The French captured the island of Nevis.

1783. Cervetto, an Italian with incredible musical talent, passed away in London at the age of 103. He was part of the orchestra at Drury Lane Theatre.

1784. Congress approved the final peace treaty.

1792. Joseph Jackson, a famous English type founder, passed away. During his apprenticeship, his master had deliberately kept the process of making punches hidden from him, but by drilling a hole through the door, he managed to catch a glimpse of the craft and ultimately succeeded.

1795. Severe frost in Holland allowed the rest of the French army to cross the Waal.

1795. The French were pushed back in an attack on all the posts of the allies, from Arnhem to Amerongen. During the night, the allies withdrew to Amersfoort, leaving 300 sick behind.

1797. Battle of Rivoli in Italy. The battle lasted three days and determined the fate of Mantua. The French under Joubert defeated the Austrians.

1798. Five English gentlemen who were sent to look into the title of Vizier Ally were ordered to be assassinated by him in Benares, India.

1801. Robert Orme passed away at the age of 73; he was the historiographer for the East India Company.

1801. An embargo was placed in England on all Russian, Swedish, and Danish ships. Over 100 Swedish and Danish vessels were quickly seized.

1809. Official treaty of peace, friendship, and alliance between Great Britain and Spain.

1813. A battle near Pernambuco involving the United States privateer schooner Comet, Capt. Boyle, armed with 14 guns and manned by 120 crew members, against three British ships with 24 guns, escorted by a Portuguese ship with 32 guns and 165 crew. The Portuguese ship was driven off, and the British vessels were seized. She also took three other ships during the journey.

[27]1814. Peace treaty signed at Kiel between Denmark and England.

1814. Charles Bossut, a French mathematician, died at the age of 84. He studied under D'Alembert and became well-known. When the French Revolution broke out, he lost his positions and made a living through his writings. He contributed to the Encyclopedie.

1815. Com. Decatur set sail from New York on the frigate President.

1822. The Grand Duke Constantine turned down the succession to the throne of all the Russias in a letter to his brother Alexander.

1831. Henry Mackenzie, the novelist, passed away at the age of 86. He studied law while also developing his skills in fine literature. His first work was a tragedy that was well-received; his first novel came out in 1771, and it was a great success. Scott refers to him as the Scottish Addison.

1834. William Polk, a revolutionary officer, passed away. He held the rank of colonel at the end of the war and was the last surviving field officer of the North Carolina line. He was part of the small group of patriots who declared independence in Mecklenburg County, N.C., on May 20th, 1775.

1838. Navy Island was evacuated by the Canadians, etc., under Mackenzie and Van Rensselaer, with a total of 510 people. The arms that belonged to the United States were surrendered, along with the cannons that belonged to the state of New York.

1852. T. Hudson Turner passed away at the age of 37; he was one of the most skilled British archaeologists.

1854. Joshua Bates, a notable New England clergyman, passed away at the age of 77. He served as the president of Middlebury College for twenty-three years.

69. Sergius Galba, the Roman emperor, was assassinated at the age of 72. He succeeded Nero and ruled for only three months.

936. Rodolph, king of France, died in the 14th year of his reign and was succeeded by Lewis the Stranger.

1549. The liturgy of the English church established by parliament. All the divine services were to be conducted according to the new liturgy, and violations would be punished with fines and imprisonment, with life imprisonment for a third offense. Inspectors were appointed to ensure that it was implemented across England. From this point, we can mark the beginning of the Puritan era.

1655. Daniel Heinsius, a Dutch philologist, passed away. He excelled as a student under Scaliger and was appointed to a professorship at Leyden. He also achieved success as a Greek and Latin poet.

1559. Queen Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster by the bishop of Carlisle, who was the only one willing to perform the ceremony.

1672. John Cosin, bishop of Durham, died; a lover of literature and generous in his spending on bookbinding. He instructed that all his books should be dusted every two weeks to prevent them from molding.

1693. A force of six or seven hundred French and Native Americans set off from Montreal to attack the Mohawk fortresses. (See Feb. 6.)

1730. Gov. Montgomerie granted the city of New York a new charter. Although the city had been governed by a mayor since 1665, it wasn't officially incorporated until 1686.

1773. At Duff house, the home of the dowager countess of Fife, the first masquerade ever held in Scotland took place.

1777. Vermont declared itself a free and independent state. It had originally been settled as part of New Hampshire but was claimed by New York, which was supported by the British crown. However, after America broke free from British rule, they felt they were no longer subject to New York, which most of them had never willingly accepted; and since they believed they were back to "a state of nature," they took it upon themselves to create connections that suited them. As a result, they developed a government plan and legal code, and reached out to Congress to join the Union.

1778. Nootka Sound and the Sandwich Islands discovered by Captain Cook.

1780. First export of woolen goods from Ireland to a foreign market.

1780. The Americans, led by Lord Stirling, attempted and failed to attack the British at Long Island.

1781. The traitor Arnold managed to set fire to some supply depots at Smithfield.

1783. William Alexander, Lord Stirling, an officer in the revolutionary army, died in Albany at the age of 57. He was of Scottish descent and had been a mathematician since his youth. Throughout the war, he played a significant role and had a close relationship with Washington. He was known for being a brave, insightful, and fearless officer, as well as an honest and knowledgeable man. He was commonly referred to as Lord Stirling and was regarded as the rightful heir to the title and estates of that earldom in Scotland.

[28]1794. A fierce battle off the island of Corsica between three Sardinian ships and two Barbary xebecs. One of the xebecs was captured, but the other chose to explode instead of surrendering; as a result, the 92 prisoners taken, consisting of Turks and Algerines, were executed.

1795. The French launched an attack on the British outposts at Rhenen.

1795. The French national convention freed General Miranda and Captain Lacrosse from prison.

1799. A peaceful revolution took place in Lucca, Italy. Titles and exclusive privileges were eliminated, the power of the people was declared, and a tax of two million livres was imposed only on the nobility, which was promptly given to the French general Serrurier.

1805. Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil Du Perron, the French orientalist, died at the age of 74. He studied theology but later dedicated himself passionately to learning Eastern languages. In 1754, he traveled to India and, with great difficulty, found some priests to teach him the sacred language of the Parsees. He returned to Paris in 1762 with a collection of manuscripts and started organizing them for publication. During the revolution, he isolated himself with his books; however, his continuous work and strict diet weakened his health. He was a knowledgeable and admirable man.

1807. A battle took place between the forces led by Christophe and Petion for the governorship of Haiti. Christophe had taken on the role as the oldest general after the death of Dessalines, but Petion had been properly elected afterward. Christophe was defeated after a fierce clash. This led to a separation of the republic. Petion established a pure republic, while Christophe created a monarchy.

1810. Masquerades and masked balls banned in the city of New York.

1815. The United States frigate President, Commander Decatur, was captured by four British ships after a fierce battle and a chase lasting 18 hours. American losses were 22 killed and 59 wounded; British losses were 11 killed and 14 wounded.

1825. Robert Goodloe Harper, an American statesman, died. He was born in Virginia to a poor family and received the basics of a classical education. He served in the Revolutionary Army and then entered Princeton College. After that, he moved to South Carolina to practice law and gained a great reputation as a professional and a politician.

1827. Jean Denis Lanjuinais died. He was a strong advocate for liberal principles and initially opposed the arrogant claims of the privileged class, even though he was part of it himself. Later, he stood against Mirabeau's schemes, the violence of the mountain party, and Bonaparte's takeovers, even in the midst of chaos. His main goal was constitutional liberty. He managed to escape execution during the revolution and was even appointed to a position by Napoleon.

1834. The city of Leira, in Portugal, was captured by Count de Saldanha, and the garrison, composed of about 1500 Miguelites, was taken prisoner.

1836. Charles Lewis, one of the most distinguished book binders in Europe, passed away. The beautifully bound books in the Duke of Sussex's library are his creations.

1842. Joseph Hopkinson passed away. His speeches in Congress about the Seminole War were highly praised. He was the author of the song, Hail Columbia.

1844. The Fontaine Moliere, a monument to the great French playwright, in Paris, was inaugurated. It combines a public fountain with a monument and stands opposite the house where Moliere died.

1849. Reporters kept out of a postponed meeting of a convention of the southern states.

1543. An act of the English parliament was passed forbidding women, apprentices, etc., etc., from reading the New Testament in English.

1556. Charles V of Germany, (Don Carlos I of Spain) gave up the crown of Spain to his son Philip after ruling for 40 years. Of all his extensive holdings, he kept only an annual pension for himself. It was during his reign that Cortez conquered Mexico.

1580. An act of the English parliament imposing a fine of 20 pounds for missing church.

1599. Edmund Spencer, the English poet, died at 46. His first poem, the Shepherd's Calendar, came out in 1576. He went to Ireland as a private secretary to the lord lieutenant and started the Faery Queen while he was there. The rebellion erupted with such intensity that he had to flee the country in such chaos that an infant child was left behind and perished in the fire that consumed his house. The unfortunate poet died soon after he returned to England due to these calamities.

1643. The Parliament of England prohibited free trade and mandated that no wagon or carriage could travel to Oxford without a permit.

[29]1668. The Earl of Shrewsbury was killed in a duel by the Duke of Buckingham, who had been openly having an affair with Shrewsbury's wife. It's reported that she, dressed like a page, held Buckingham's horse while he fought her husband.

1706. Articles of union between England and Scotland approved by the Scottish parliament 110 to 69.

1715. Robert Nelson passed away, an English gentleman of wealth, which he used for acts of kindness and charity. Few books on spiritual topics were more well-known than his.

1748. The bottle magician amazed a large crowd at the Haymarket theater by claiming he would jump into a quart bottle.

1760. Pondicherry, defended by the French led by General Lally, captured by the English under Colonel Coote.

1772. A revolution in Denmark that ended with the imprisonment of the royal family and ultimately resulted in the banishment of the queen, who was the sister of George III of England.

1780. The Spanish fleet of 11 ships, led by Langara, was destroyed off St. Vincent by the British fleet of 19 ships, led by Rodney. Langara was severely wounded and captured. One of the Spanish ships, with 600 men on board, was blown up, and everyone died. The British lost 32 killed and 102 wounded.

1790. The bean-fed friars were kicked out of their convents through the massive effort of the French Revolution.

1794. Edward Gibbon, the historian, died at the age of 57. While visiting Rome in 1764, he came up with the idea to write the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In 1774, he secured a seat in Parliament, and two years later, the first quarto volume of his history was published. A condition he had suffered from for twenty-three years ended in gangrene.

1795. The British withdrew from Utrecht, in Holland, leading the locals to surrender to the French.

1796. The first theater at Botany Bay opened by the convicts at Sydney Cove.

1809. Battle of Corunna in Spain, between the French and English, and death of Sir John Moore, who was mortally wounded by a cannon shot at the moment of victory achieved by the troops under his command. His men buried him in his cloak, and the French, in recognition of his bravery, built a monument over his remains. He was unmarried and 47 years old.

1812. The king of Sicily, due to health issues, gave up the throne for his son until he got better. It’s interesting that Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden were all being ruled by regents or viceroys at that time.

1813. Lewis Barney passed away in Champlain, New York, at the age of 105. He had 24 children with one wife.

1815. Henry Thornton, founder of the Sierra Leone company, and a writer on the credit of Great Britain, passed away.

1816. The bridge at the Schuylkill Falls collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow on it.

1816. John Wright, the first constable of Cumberland County, Virginia, passed away at the age of 107.

1817. Alexander James Dallas, a prominent lawyer from Philadelphia, passed away. He held the position of Secretary of State in Pennsylvania for many years and also served as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States shortly before his death.

1838. Dorothy Torrey passed away in Windsor, Connecticut, at the age of 107.

1843. The state mental health facility in Utica, New York, began operations.

1854. Alden Partridge passed away in Norwich, Vt.; he spent nearly fifty years involved in military training and was once the principal of West Point academy.

86. B. C. Caius Marius, the Roman consul, died. He was the son of a poor farmer, but through his skills and determination, he achieved the highest honor in the greatest state in the world.

395. The Emperor Theodosius died in Milan, urging his heirs to carry out his wishes faithfully.

1009. Abd-el-Malek, a Moorish prince, was crucified by his conqueror.

1380. An act of parliament was passed that prevented foreign clergy from holding church positions in England.

1467. John Castriotto, (or Scanderbeg) prince of Albania, died. His father sent him as a hostage to the sultan of Turkey, where he was raised in the Muslim faith, and at the age of 18, he was given command of a group of troops. He later defected to the Christians, and when he took the throne of his ancestors, he rejected the Muslim faith. He achieved several victories over the Turks. After his death, when Albania fell under Muslim control, the Turks exhumed his remains, believing this would transfer his bravery to them.

1524. Verrazano set sail from a lonely rock near Madeira, with fifty men and supplies for eight months, weapons, ammunition, and other naval equipment, on his journey west, hoping to reach Cathay.

[30]1546. Martin Luther gave his last sermon in Wittenberg.

1556. Philip Nerli, the historian from Florence, passed away.

1684. Wentworth Dillon, earl of Roscommon, died in Rome. He spent the early part of his life in indulgence, but later he acted with more caution and became well-known among the intellectuals of his time. Johnson referred to him as the most precise writer of English verse before Dryden.

1694. A powder magazine containing 218 barrels exploded in Dublin, causing significant damage.

1701. Roger Morris, an English chaplain, died at the age of 73. He was a dedicated collector of church manuscripts related to the history of the English church, of which, according to Strype, "he left vast heaps behind him."

1705. John Ray, an English naturalist, passed away. He was the son of a blacksmith, received a broad education at Cambridge, and dedicated himself to science and literature. He published a lot of work.

1706. Birthday of Ben Franklin.

1733. George Byng, an English admiral, died. He joined the navy at 15 and gradually achieved the highest honors and accolades.

1746. Battle of Falkirk, where the Pretender's forces defeated the royal army.

1750. The unique ceremony of the Greek church for blessing the water in remembrance of Christ's baptism, held in St. Petersburg.

1766. Frederick V, the king of Denmark and Norway, passed away.

1781. Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, where a smaller American force led by Morgan defeated 1,100 British troops under Tarleton. The British suffered 100 killed and wounded, and 500 captured; they also lost 800 muskets, 2 field pieces, 35 supply wagons, and 100 cavalry horses to the victors. The American losses were 12 killed and 60 wounded.

1783. Action between the British frigate Magicienne and the French frigate Sybille. The latter lost her masts and was captured a few days later by the Hussar.

1789. John Ledyard, the traveler, died. He was born in Groton, Conn., in 1751; he started at Dartmouth College at 19, but after receiving some criticism, he decided to leave. So, he cut down a tree along the Connecticut River, made a canoe from it, and traveled down the river 140 miles to Hartford. He studied theology for a while, then joined the navy as a sailor for a trip to Gibraltar; he sailed with Capt. Cook on one of his voyages and published an account of it. When he didn't get the support he needed to pursue any of his ambitious plans, he ultimately decided to walk around the world starting from London heading east; he got as far as Yakutsk in Siberia when he was arrested by order of the queen, accused of being a French spy, and sent back to the borders of Poland. He returned to London, saying he was "disappointed, ragged, penniless, but with a whole heart." He had barely settled into a place when Sir Joseph Banks suggested an African expedition. He took the offer and traveled to Cairo, where he fell ill and passed away.

1789. Charles IV declared king of Spain.

1791. Lord Dungarvon, an Irish aristocrat, was put on trial at the Old Bailey, London, for stealing three and a half guineas from a struggling woman in the city, but was found not guilty.

1792. George Horne, bishop of Norwich, passed away. His Sermons and Commentary on the Psalms are well known.

1795. The stadtholder, William V, got permission from the States General to leave Holland.

1800. The church in Chelmsford, England, collapsed; it was originally built in 1424.

1804. Charles Nisbet died at the age of 67. He was a Scottish clergyman and the first president of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.

1806. An iris or lunar rainbow was visible for one hour (9¼ to 10¼) at Wakefield in Yorkshire, England.

1810. The authorities in the city of Philadelphia banned masquerades and masked balls.

1811. The Mexican patriots led by Hidalgo were completely defeated near Guadalajara by the Spaniards under Calleja.

1813. Capture of the United States brig Vixen, 12 guns, Capt. Henley, by the British frigate Narcissus.

1815. The king of Spain issued a decree against freemasonry.

1817. In Philadelphia and Albany, the unusual occurrence of snow, clear skies, rain, snow, thunder and lightning, hail, and more snow was observed in succession.

1836. Two battles in the Arlaban mountains, between the army of the queen of Spain led by Gen. Cordova and the Carlists, in which the Carlists were defeated.

1841. Rezin P. Bowie died in New Orleans at the age of 48; "recognized in the southwest for his numerous acts of bravery in its early history, particularly among the Mexicans and Native Americans."

1851. Spencer Compton, Marquis of Northampton, passed away at the age of 61. He was the president of the Royal Society and was involved with Wilberforce in the anti-slavery [31]movement, as well as working with Macintosh on criminal law reform.

1854. Two railroad bridges and crossings in Erie, Pa., were destroyed by a mob of women, who were later paraded through the town with banners, led by a marching band.

1856. Zadock Thompson passed away at the age of 59; he was the author of several historical works about Vermont and was a naturalist.

1486. Henry VII married Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Edward IV. This united the houses of York and Lancaster, merging the Roses.

1534. Lima, the current capital of Peru, was founded by Pizarro; thirty years before a single town was established within the borders of the United States, with St. Augustine, Florida, being founded in 1565.

1546. The Council of Trent met and reached an agreement on a statement of faith.

1561. The first English tragedy was performed at Whitehall in front of the queen. It was called Gorboduc, named after a supposed ancient British king, and was written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. The play consists of five acts, each preceded by a dumb show that previews what will happen; the first four acts end with rhymed choruses, and the fifth concludes with a didactic speech of nearly two hundred lines. Sir Philip Sidney described it as "full of stately speeches and well-sounding phrases, climbing to the height of Seneca's style, and full of notable morality, which it teaches most delightfully."

1701. Frederick III of Brandenburg was crowned the first king of Prussia, taking the title Frederick I.

1703. Thomas Hyde passed away. He worked as an Oriental interpreter during the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William III.

1713. Arcangelo Corelli, an Italian composer, died. He became such a master in the art of music that his fellow countrymen gave him the nickname Il Divino.

1718. Samuel Garth, an English poet and doctor, passed away. He moved to London where his medical expertise quickly earned him a large clientele; and through his humor and conversational talents, he stood out among the intellectuals of his time.

1739. Samuel Bernard, one of the wealthiest and most famous financiers in Europe, died in Paris. His funeral procession was as grand as that of a prince, with a long line of notable attendees.

1775. John Baskerville, a prominent English printer, passed away. He was a highly inventive person and made advancements in the craft that were hardly anticipated from the efforts of just one individual.

1777. Battle of Kingsbridge, N.Y., between the Americans led by Gen. Heath and the Hessians.

1782. Dumiter Raduly passed away in Haromszeck at the impressive age of 140.

1793. George Gordon, an English nobleman, after being imprisoned for five years, came forward to post bail; however, the attorney-general declined to accept it. He was then taken back into custody.

1795. The French led by Salm captured Utrecht in Holland, and General Van Damme took Arnhem; the prince of Orange and his family fled to England.

1797. Francis Lightfoot Lee, an American statesman, died at his home in Virginia, at the age of 63.

1804. The French took Goree from the English.

1806. Eugene Napoleon Beauharnais married Augusta Amelia, the daughter of the king of Bavaria.

1810. Lyon Levy, a jeweler, jumped from the monument in London.

1811. Gen. Junot was injured in the face by a musket ball while scouting the British lines.

1813. Battle at Frenchtown in Michigan, between the U.S. troops and the British and Native Americans, when the latter were defeated. American loss: 12 killed, 55 wounded.

1815. The British evacuated from in front of Fort St. Philip, on the Mississippi, which they had bombarded since the 9th. Around midnight, they boarded their boats, leaving behind 80 of their wounded, 14 pieces of heavy artillery, and a large amount of ammunition.

1815. Stanislaus, knight of Bouffleurs, passed away in Paris at the age of 78. He was the son of the marchioness de Bouffleurs, who was the lover of Stanislaus, king of Poland. He made a name for himself in the army but chose to leave it to focus on literature. He was known as one of the most clever individuals of his era, recognized for the charm of his manners and conversation. The epitaph on his tomb, written by himself, reflects his character: Mes amis, croyez vous que je dors?

1816. Thanksgiving across England for the restoration of peace.

1819. John Willson died in London at the age of 52. He once held the top command in Ceylon and later governed Upper Canada.

1826. Ommeganck, one of the most famous Dutch landscape painters, died at [32]Antwerp. His works are known for their good taste, along with their fresh and warm colors.

1829. John George Henry Hassel, a notable German geographer and statistical writer, passed away in Weimar.

1834. Nathaniel Ames died in Providence. He was the son of Fisher Ames and worked as a seaman. He wrote Mariners' Sketches, Nautical Reminiscences, and Old Sailor's Yarns.

1848. John Deidrich Peterson died in Markham, Canada. He was the founding pastor of that town.

1854. Judah Touro passed away in New Orleans at the age of 78, leaving nearly two million dollars to the public institutions of the city.

1854. William Walker announced the republic of Sonora.

1472. Birthday of Copernicus, in Thorn, Prussia.

1514. Vasco Nunez de Balboa returned to his colony at Darien after discovering the Pacific Ocean. His expedition lasted four and a half months, and his success was total. The entire population rushed to the shore to greet him, celebrating him as the creator of their fortunes, more than just a man, but a gift from heaven, to lead them to unimaginable glory and wealth. The expedition was prompted by the Indians' exaggerated stories about a people living six suns away on the coast of that ocean, who had large ships and whose eating and drinking vessels were made of pure gold. They were talking about the Peruvians.

1535. Date when the will of the famous early English printer, Wynkyn de Worde, was probated.

1547. Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, a soldier, scholar, and poet, was executed at Tower Hill for treason. In his youth, he traveled across Europe, and in Florence, he boldly challenged everyone—Christians, Jews, Saracens, Turks, and Cannibals—to defend the extraordinary beauty of his beloved, the fair Geraldine, as a knight-errant would. He was victorious in the tournament organized by the grand duke for this occasion. He served in the army sent against Scotland in 1542 and joined the troops with which the king invaded France in 1544. He was promoted for his services but was replaced after being defeated in an attempt to capture a convoy. This undeserved disgrace marked the start of his downfall. He reportedly sought the hand of Princess Mary and was tried by a common jury on some unfounded charges, who obediently found him guilty of treason. Thus, a man "no less valiant than learned, and of excellent hopes," met his end at the age of 27.

1565. James Laynez, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, passed away. He was born in Castile in 1512. His close relationship with Loyola developed in Paris, where they worked on the plan for the society. Loyola was chosen as the first general, and in 1558, Laynez took over his role.

1576. Hans Sachs, the renowned German master-singer, passed away. He was born in Nuremberg in 1494; his profession was that of a shoemaker. At the age of 14, he began writing poetry, producing both verses and shoes, plays and pumps, with equal dedication until the age of 77, when he took stock of his literary output. He had created 4,200 songs, 508 comedies, and other works, totaling 6,048 pieces, which amounted to 32 folio volumes written by his own hand. From these, a selection was published in 5 folio volumes. His poems are notable for their naïveté, emotion, and vivid descriptions.

1643. Battle of Liscard, in Cornwall, England.

1657. Miles Syndercombe and others found guilty of conspiring to kill Oliver Cromwell.

1706. Charles Sackville, earl of Dorset and Middlesex, passed away. He was a well-educated scholar and a talented speaker but turned down all public positions, being completely absorbed in romance and leisure. He supported poets and witty individuals: his own works reflect his sharp wit, being lively, upbeat, and lighthearted. He volunteered in the Dutch war of 1665, and the night before a battle, he wrote the famous song that starts with, "To all you ladies now at hand."

1728. William Congreve, the English playwright, passed away. He was originally trained to become a lawyer but, like many others in his position, abandoned the legal profession to focus on writing refined literature, in which he achieved great success. His first work, The Incognita, was created at a very young age, and he wrote his first comedy when he was just 21.

1730. Peter II of Russia died from smallpox. He was the grandson of Peter the Great and became king at just 13 years old, following Catherine's wishes.

1757. Thomas Ruddiman, a well-known Scottish printer and grammarian who was skilled in many scholarly works, passed away.

1776. Major eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

1777. Hugh Mercer, a revolutionary officer, passed away. He was born in Scotland and fought in the famous battle of Culloden. Shortly after, he moved to [33]America and participated with Washington in the Indian wars of 1755. He joined the revolutionary patriots and made a name for himself at Trenton and Princeton; he was injured in the latter battle, which led to his death. His funeral was attended by 30,000 people.

1778. Francis Furgler, the New Jersey recluse, died. For 25 years, he lived in a cell shaped like an oven, about four miles from Burlington, without a fire.

1782. The emperor Joseph forgave everyone who had stayed away from his territories because of their religion, as long as they came back within a year; he also got rid of several religious orders and released the monks and nuns from their vows, while also rejecting any control by the pope in secular matters.

1795. Uprising on the island of Grenada.

1795. The French, led by Devinther, captured Amersfoort in Holland, and the French army made its way into Amsterdam.

1796. The brass coffin holding the bones of Columbus and the chains he was shackled with in Cuba were moved from St. Domingo to Havana at the request of his descendants. They are now kept in a silver urn on the left side of the altar in the cathedral.

1806. James Jackson, an officer of the revolution, passed away. He arrived from England just two years before the war, and even though he was only 19 years old in 1776, he showed incredible bravery during the attack on Savannah. He served throughout the war, and in 1782, the legislature awarded him a house and lot in Savannah. He held several civil positions in the state, and at the time of his death, he was a senator in Congress.

1809. The French took Corunna.

1812. Ciudad Rodrigo, a town and fortress in Spain, eight miles from the Portuguese border, held by 1,700 French soldiers, was captured by the British led by Wellington after an 11-day siege.

1817. Riot and rebellion of the students at Princeton University.

1819. Charles IV, king of Spain, died. He was born in Naples in 1740 and became king of Spain in 1788. Too incompetent to rule, he was constantly controlled by his wife and ministers. He was overthrown by Napoleon in 1808 and died in Naples, living off a pension due to a gout relapse.

1836. John Butler, "the famous huntsman," died in Wake County, N.C. He was believed to be at least 110 years old and left behind a wife who was just as old.

1840. The United States exploring expedition led by Lieutenant Wilkes reported the discovery of a new Antarctic continent on this day. A later British expedition sailed over the area but couldn't find any trace of it. It's believed that it was a group of icebergs.

1843. Thos. W. White, editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, passed away in Richmond.

1847. Peter R. Livingston, a notable figure in New York state politics and decision-making, passed away in Rhinebeck.

1848. Isaac D'Israeli, author of the Curiosities of Literature, passed away at the age of 82.

1853. C. B. Adams, a prominent American naturalist and professor at Amherst College, passed away.

1854. George McFeely passed away in Carlisle, PA, at the age of 73. He made a name for himself on the Niagara frontier in 1813.

1265. The Earl of Leicester, after defeating Henry III, called for a new parliament, where the commons were represented for the first time.

1546. Frederick, elector palatine, established the Protestant religion without any acts of violence.

1662. Three women were found guilty of witchcraft in Hartford, Conn., and one of them was executed by hanging.

1706. Humphrey Hody died, a prominent English writer. A paper on the resurrection of the body is considered one of his most valuable works.

1745. Charles VII of Germany passed away in Munich at the age of 48.

1764. Mr. Wilkes was kicked out of the British House of Commons for writing North Briton No. 45. This well-known figure was then declared an outlaw; he ignored his outlaw status; was elected three times for Middlesex, and each time his election was ruled invalid by the Commons, even though he was returned by large majorities.

1770. Lord Chancellor Yorke took his own life at the age of 48. He was a prominent English politician, and his death is attributed to feelings of guilt for breaking a promise to his brother not to accept any position from the court.

1776. Gen. Schuyler disarmed the Highlanders in Johnstown, N. Y., and took six hostages.

1777. Gen. Dickinson, with 400 militia and 50 Pennsylvania riflemen, defeated a British foraging party, capturing 9 prisoners, 100 horses, 40 wagons, and several cattle.

1779. Benedict Arnold was ordered to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief for misconduct in Philadelphia.

1779. David Garrick, the actor, passed away. He created a new era for English theater, [34]bringing about reforms in how plays were conducted and the freedom allowed in drama, which was commendable for the talent that made it happen.

1781. A revolt of 160 soldiers from the Jersey line at Morristown. It was put down, and two of the leaders were executed.

1783. Great Britain recognizes the independence of the United States.

1788. George Joachim Zollikofer, a Swiss theologian, passed away. He was born in 1730 and became one of the most notable preachers of the previous century. His sermons have been published in 15 volumes.

1788. Australia was first colonized, nearly three centuries after Magellan discovered the Ladrones, which are part of it. Governor Philip arrived with a group of convicts from England and established a colony at Port Jackson instead of Botany Bay.

1790. John Howard, the philanthropist, died in Cherson, Russia, at the age of 63. He had settled in this location by the Baltic Sea; when a severe fever was spreading there, he felt compelled by compassion to visit a patient suffering from the illness, which led to him contracting the disease and ultimately dying from it.

1790. Lafayette, in the assembly of the states general, supported the motion to abolish titles of nobility, and from that time on, he renounced his own and never took it back.

1795. The French led by Pichegru entered Amsterdam, and Geertruidenberg surrendered to Gen. Bonneau.

1795. A huge fire broke out in Bergen, Norway, destroying 60 houses and many shops.

1796. Pichegru attacked Kaiserslautern but was pushed back, losing 2000 men and several cannons. The Austrians lost about 700 killed and wounded.

1798. The frigate Crescent set sail from Portsmouth, N.H., as a gift from the United States to the dey of Algiers; it also delivered gifts totaling $300,000.

1800. Thomas Mifflin, a Revolutionary War officer, passed away. He was a member of the first Congress and served as governor of Pennsylvania for many years.

1813. Christopher Martin Wieland, a well-known German author, died at the age of 80. He was the father of 14 children and had published 42 quarto volumes of books, which he sold to buy an estate. He was knighted by Alexander of Russia and by Napoleon.

1817. The weather had been so mild that up to this point, there had been no ice spotted on the Delaware at Philadelphia.

1817. James Anthony, of Hanover County, Virginia, passed away at the age of 104.

1823. The British government was informed that a Bengali newspaper had been published, edited by a knowledgeable Hindu. Its title was Sungband Cowmuddy, or the Moon of Intelligence.

1835. The city of Mocha was captured by the Egyptians under Achmet Pacha, making all of Arabia subject to Mehemet Ali, the pacha of Egypt.

1836. Xavier Saubert, the famous fire-king, was conducting some chemistry experiments with phosphoric ether when it exploded, scattering his body into a thousand pieces.

1836. Peace and commerce treaty signed between the United States and the Republic of Venezuela.

1839. The army of the confederation of Bolivia and Peru, led by Santa Cruz himself, was completely defeated and annihilated at Yungay, suffering 2,600 deaths and 3,400 captured. Santa Cruz promptly resigned from his position.

1843. A report completely endorsing the actions of Com. McKenzie and his officers aboard the United States brig of war Somers was submitted by the court assembled for that purpose.

1848. Christian VIII, the king of Denmark, died at the age of 62 and in the 9th year of his reign. His successor presented a constitution on the same day.

1854. A tornado in Ohio half a mile wide wiped out everything in its path and nearly completely destroyed the town of Brandon.

This day in Hesiod's calendar is considered the most favorable for the birth of people.

988. Adalbero, archbishop of Rheims, passed away. He helped put Hugh Capet on the throne of France.

1582. Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo, the Duke of Alva, a Spanish general and government minister, passed away at the age of 74. It's said that during nearly sixty years of fighting various enemies, he never lost a battle and was never caught off guard. He was undoubtedly the most skilled general of his time; he had a proud demeanor, an impressive appearance, and a strong physique; he slept little, worked hard, and wrote a lot. However, his pride, harshness, and cruelty overshadowed his reputation, making him disliked even by his own fellow countrymen.

1609. Joseph Justus Scaliger died at the age of 69. He started his education early and remained one of the most tireless students throughout his long life. He was so completely absorbed in his studies that he would spend entire days in his room without eating or drinking, hardly paying any attention to the everyday matters of life. He is often regarded as the founder of the science of chronology.

1647. The plague broke out in Edinburgh. A writer from that time says that the last plague was so severe that only one in forty of the people who lived there four years earlier survived, and the place was filled with new faces.

1666. Shah Jehan, a Mughal emperor, died at 74. He was the son and successor of Jehangir but didn't inherit much of the talent and spirit of that strong ruler. During a serious illness, his son took control of the government, and upon his recovery, he was moved from Delhi to Agra, where he likely died of poisoning.

1692. King William and his court released a statement condemned immoral behavior and disrespectful conduct.

1702. The affirmation granted by Queen Anne to the Quakers in England also applied to those in Pennsylvania.

1707. Aurungzebe, (ornament of the throne), passed away; he was the last strong and dynamic ruler of the Mogul empire in Hindostan. From the age of 20, military responsibilities fell to him; he raised a troop of soldiers and took control of the Deccan. He hosted a feast for his old friends, the fakirs, or religious beggars, and forced them to wear new and respectable clothes. The gold and silver coins he discovered by burning their old garments were very helpful to him in his war against his older brother for the throne. He incited conflicts among his brothers, which got them out of his way, confined his father to his harem, and in 1659 took the throne. Despite his cruelty, he ruled with a lot of wisdom and cared for the well-being of his people. When two of his sons tried to gain support for themselves, he had them killed with slow poison. In the midst of his vigorous rule, he died in Ahmednagar, and with his death ended the remarkable era of the Moguls.

1721. Francis Pagi passed away, the writer of a chronological history of the popes.

1733. Bernard de Mandeville, an English author, passed away. He was born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, and moved to England to practice medicine. After facing little support, he became an author; however, his subjects, although supposedly aimed at improving public morals, caught the attention of the grand jury. His writing provided him with a way to make a living, but it also earned him a rather undesirable reputation.

1750. John Bland, the famous writing teacher, passed away at his school in London.

1759. Battle of Wandewash, in India. The French led by Lally were defeated, suffering 800 killed and wounded, by the British under Col. Coote, who lost 262.

1769. The first letter of Junius was published in Woodfall's Public Advertiser; and the final installment was also released on this day, 1772.

1773. Alexis Piron, a French playwright, passed away. His earliest works were satires, which created so many enemies for him that even in the later years of his life, he couldn’t gain entry into the Academy. He got back at them by calling them les invalides du bel esprit, and writing his own funny epitaph:

1774. Mustapha III, the emperor of Turkey, died and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamet.

1775. Pugatchef, the brave leader of the Tartars, was defeated by the Russians, who captured him and executed him.

1780. Admiral Rodney of the English fleet arrived with his captured ships and transport vessels to relieve Gibraltar; the garrison was running low on supplies.

1782. Grand celebration in Paris for the birth of the dauphin.

1793. Louis XVI was beheaded in Paris at the age of 38. He had ruled for 17 years and 7 months, and is now seen as a kind and well-meaning man, eager to make his people happy; yet they treated him in the most despicable way, executing him as if he were a tyrant and a traitor. His actions during many difficult situations proved that he was not timid, and his reluctance to spill blood was driven by kindness, not cowardice. On the scaffold, he displayed a resolve fitting for a noble spirit.

1814. Jacques Bernardin Henry de St. Pierre, a French philosophical writer, died at his estate near Paris. He is best known as the author of Paul and Virginia, which was published in 1788 and went through fifty editions in just one year. It has been translated widely across Europe.

1815. Matthias Claudius, a German poet, passed away. His writing is known for its unique blend of humor, honesty, and warmth, and many of his songs, set to music by leading composers, have become part of the nation's melodies. He held several public positions.

1816. Day of national mourning in France for the death of Louis XVI, twenty-three years after his execution.

1820. Ambroise Marie Francis Joseph Palisot de Beauvais, a French naturalist, passed away. He came to America in search of scientific knowledge, and while in Philadelphia, he found out that he had been exiled by the revolutionaries as an emigrant. He made a living as a music and language teacher until the French minister arrived, who provided Palisot with the resources to explore the natural history of America. He was tasked with organizing Peale's collection. Upon returning to France with his valuable collections, he was accepted into the Institute, taking the place of Adanson.

1824. Charles Macarthy was killed. He was in charge at the Cape Coast fighting against the Ashantees. While getting ready to fight off these savages in 1821, the king sent his greetings to him and expressed his hope to have Macarthy's head as a decoration for their large war drum. Later, Sir Charles marched against the enemy with a mixed army of Europeans and Africans; the latter fled, and the whites were defeated with their commander taken prisoner, making the fierce threat come true. However, the trophy was recovered afterward.

1839. A major fire in Constantinople destroyed the grand vizier's palace, known as the Sublime Porte, along with the ministerial and administrative offices. The estimated loss was 20,000,000 piasters.

1847. Major James Morton passed away at High Hill, Virginia, at the age of 90. During the Revolutionary War, he earned the nickname Solid Column, which was how La Fayette recognized him in 1824, in Richmond.

1854. The stunning British ship Tayleur, on its way to Melbourne, wrecked off the Irish coast, resulting in the loss of 370 lives.

The Catagogia was a sensual and wild festival celebrated in Ephesus by its indulgent followers around the first century.

97. Timothy, to whom St. Paul wrote several letters, is believed to have been killed in Paris (Ephesus).

1265. The first English parliament made up of members from counties, etc., as it is today, convened.

1528. Henry VIII and Francis I declared war on Charles V of Germany.

1552. The duke of Somerset was executed under the pretext of encouraging others to imprison Dudley, the duke of Northumberland. He was a notable writer of that time.

1561. Birthday of Francis Bacon, the English philosopher.

1562. The two houses of convocation signed the 39 articles of the English church.

1575. Queen Elizabeth gave Thomas Tallis and William Birde an exclusive license to print music for a period of twenty-one years.

1683. Anthony Ashley Cooper, the first earl of Shaftsbury, died. The career of this skilled, though questionable and adaptable politician unfolded during a turbulent time, and his actions have faced significant criticism. However, much of this backlash can be attributed to the animosity stirred up by rival party sentiments. His flaws seem to have been balanced by corresponding strengths, and had he lived in a different era, it’s likely he would have shown a different character.

1689. The British Parliament convened and declared that King James II had abdicated the throne. William and Mary took his place.

1696. Birthday of James Brucker, a German scholar, known for his Critical History of Philosophy, 6 vols. 4to. He provides an overview of each school, from the Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Egyptian, all the way to the Huron in America.

1749. Matthew Concanen, former attorney-general of Jamaica and a playwright, passed away.

1788. Birthday of Lord Byron.

1795. The French led by Macdonald entered Naarden, Holland.

1800. George Stevens died, best known as the editor of Shakespeare, though there are many testimonials to the versatility and richness of his talent. His literary collections were incredibly interesting and, concerning the past, of great value.

1809. Naval action off Guadaloupe between the British frigate Cleopatra and the sloop of war Hazard, and the French frigate Topaz, 40 guns. The engagement lasted 45 minutes and ended with the capture of the Topaz, which was carrying supplies to support the garrison at Cayenne.

1810. The French forced their way through the Sierra Morena in Spain.

1812. Madame Reichard rose high into the sky in a balloon at Kœnigsberg in Prussia. The balloon was completely destroyed by a hurricane, and the aeronaut fell to the ground but survived.

1813. Second battle of Frenchtown in Michigan. The front of Gen. Harrison's army, about 750 men, was attacked at dawn by 2000 British soldiers and Native Americans led by Proctor and Tecumseh. Despite the enemy's numerical advantage, the Americans fought fiercely for six hours before surrendering. According to Proctor, the British lost 24 killed and 128 wounded; the loss among the Native Americans is believed to have been higher. The American casualties were 200 killed, 522 captured, and 27 who managed to escape. Proctor was promoted.

[37]1815. The remains of Louis XVI and his queen were removed from the burial site and interred with great solemnity in the royal church of St. Denis.

1815. American commodore Patterson captured a British transport schooner and took 63 prisoners. His own force was 53.

1815. United States privateer schooner Tomahawk, armed with 9 guns and carrying 84 men, was captured by the British ship Bulwark.

1818. Caspar Wistar died, a respected physician from Philadelphia. He was of German descent and a member of the Quaker community; he became well-known as an anatomist and corresponded with Cuvier and other prominent naturalists in Europe. He hosted scientific meetings at his home and actively contributed to various fields of knowledge. He died from a slow fever he contracted while caring for a low-income family in cramped living conditions.

1822. John Julius Angerstein passed away, recognized as the founder of the British national gallery, which the government bought after his death for £40,000, (Cyclopedia Americana mentions £60,000) and it was first displayed in May, 1824. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1735.

1830. A massive fire in Pera, Constantinople, was put out thanks to the efforts of the crew from an English ship.

1834. A massive earthquake hit South America; the cities of Popayan and Pasto were nearly completely destroyed, and many lives were lost.

1835. Andrew Wallace died in New York at the age of 105. He emigrated from Scotland in 1752, joined the American army in 1776, and served until 1813, when he was honorably discharged due to his disability after suffering a stroke.

1840. John Frederick Blumenbach passed away in Göttingen at the age of 88. He was a prominent professor at the university and an esteemed naturalist. His collection of skulls was considered the most extensive in the world. The 50th anniversary of his professorship was celebrated in 1826.

1849. John C. Calhoun's draft of a speech to the people of the United States was chosen over Berrien's, and the Southern convention ended without a scheduled date to reconvene.

1854. Patrick O'Donahoe died in Brooklyn, NY; one of the Irish exiles who escaped from Van Diemen's Land.

1401. Tamerlane brought his army into the city of Damascus, breaking a truce; and after imposing a huge payment in gold, he killed the inhabitants and set the city on fire, out of revenge for the murder of Mahomet's grandson by the Syrians seven centuries earlier.

1516. Ferdinand V of Spain died. He inherited the crowns of Aragon and Sicily, and joined them with the kingdom of Castile through marriage. In 1492, he added the kingdom of Granada, the last stronghold of the Moors, by conquest; at the same time, Columbus was discovering the New World for him. Through force and deception, he acquired the kingdom of Naples, and with similar tactics, Navarre was also incorporated into his territories. Thus, all of Spain was united under him; he can be seen as the restorer, if not the founder, of the Spanish monarchy. He was the most powerful monarch of his time; however, his actions were marked by a complete lack of integrity and a disregard for principles, which he openly boasted about. He was the founder of that infamous tribunal, the Inquisition.

1570. Earl Murray, the regent of Scotland, was shot by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh. After the battle of Langside Hill, Hamilton had been sentenced to death as a rebel but was pardoned. However, part of his estate was given to one of the regent's favorites, who took over Hamilton's house and threw his wife out into the fields naked on a cold night, which led her to become insane. This injustice drove him to seek revenge on the regent, after which he fled to France.

1722. Henri De Boulainvilliers, Count of St. Saire in Normandy, died. After completing his studies, he joined the army but quickly left to focus on literature. His writings show a strong dislike for revelation, which stands in sharp contrast to his superstitious respect for judicial astrology and the mystic sciences, areas he pursued with great dedication.

1733. O. S. Birthday of Benjamin Lincoln, a revolutionary general, in Hingham, Mass. Washington had great faith in his abilities and entrusted him with many important tasks. In 1781, he was appointed secretary of war, a position he held for three years before retiring to his farm. He passed away in 1810.

1761. Action between the British frigate Minerva, 22 guns, Capt. Hood, and the French ship Warwick, 34 guns, M. de Bellair, near Cape Pinas, which resulted in the capture of the latter. French loss: 14 killed, 32 wounded; British loss: 14 killed, 33 wounded, 3 of whom died.

1765. The British, led by Captain Byron, established a colony on the Falkland Islands.

1766. William Caslon, a prominent English type founder, passed away. A friend encouraged him to try letter-cutting, and [38]he achieved such perfection in the craft that the beauty of his type surpassed all others at the time and was in demand from other countries across the continent. He was commissioned to create characters for several Asian languages.

1772. Mrs. Clum passed away near Litchfield, England, at the age of 138. She had spent 103 years in the same house.

1775. The Pennsylvania convention stated their intention, if the oppressive laws of England were enforced by force, to resist with unwavering determination.

1780. The British ship Culloden, armed with 74 guns, sank off Long Island.

1789. Frances Brooke passed away, an English woman known for her impressive literary talents. Her works include novels, magazines, plays, musical dramas, and translations.

1789. John Cleland passed away; he was the author of the famously scandalous novel, Fanny Hill.

1790. The mutineers from the ship Bounty arrived at Pitcairn's Island, unloaded all their belongings, set fire to the ship, and destroyed any traces that could reveal their hideout. They then divided the island into nine equal parts among themselves, and the natives were turned into slaves. (See Oct. 3.)

1795. John Sullivan, a notable general in the revolutionary army, died. He was of Irish descent and practiced law in New Hampshire before the revolution. He was one of the first to actively participate in the conflict; he resigned his position in the first congress to join the army; he was prominent in several battles; and he ended his military career by devastating the land of the Six Nations to halt their attacks. After the peace, he served in several important state positions.

1795. The French took control of The Hague and Helvoetsluis, captured 800 Englishmen, and freed 600 Frenchmen.

1799. The French troops led by Championnet entered Naples.

1800. A convention was signed between General Kleber and the grand vizier for the evacuation of Egypt by French troops.

1800. Edward Rutledge, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, passed away. He was a member of the first Congress and played an important role during the war. While the British were besieging Charleston, his hometown, he led a company of troops and was captured. After peace was restored, he returned to practicing law, and shortly before his death, he was elected governor of South Carolina.

1802. Humboldt and his team climbed Chimborazo to an elevation of 18,576 feet above sea level. Blood began to flow from their eyes, lips, and gums, and they almost became sluggish from the cold. A steep, narrow valley stopped them from reaching the summit, which was 1,344 feet higher.

1806. William Pitt, the second son of the Earl of Chatham, passed away. He was born in 1759, and at the age of 23, he became the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the following year, Prime Minister. It was during the early part of his career that the American war came to an end. Despite the high earnings from his positions, he did not amass wealth and died in debt. Parliament awarded him a public funeral and allocated £40,000 to settle his debts.

1813. George Clymer, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, passed away. After losing his parents, he became an orphan at the age of 7, but his uncle took him in and left him a substantial inheritance, which allowed him to carry on as a merchant in Philadelphia. His contributions to the country during the revolution, particularly in sourcing supplies and finding ways to sustain the fight, were incredibly important.

1813. Horrible massacre of the United States prisoners taken by the British and Indians at the battle of Frenchtown the day before. The houses where the helpless wounded lay were set on fire, and those who were too weak to continue the march were shot or attacked with tomahawks on the road. It is morally certain that the British generals Proctor and Elliott were responsible for this senseless loss of life to satisfy the vengeance of the savages.

1813. Robert Jamison died in South Carolina at the age of 104. His eyesight, which had deteriorated several years before his passing, returned to full strength just before he died.

1815. Thanksgiving Day in New Orleans, and a solemn Te Deum to celebrate Jackson's victory.

1820. Edward, Duke of Kent, passed away. He was the fourth son of George III. In 1802, he was made governor of Gibraltar, but his strict discipline led to a mutiny, and he was recalled. The current queen of England is his daughter.

1824. Stephen Acour Kover, a notable Armenian writer, passed away at the age of 84.

1833. Banastre Tarleton died at the age of 78. He led the British cavalry in the Carolinas during the revolution.

1841. Sarah Ann Davis was sentenced in Philadelphia for murder; the first death penalty conviction of a woman in Philadelphia.

1844. William Gaston passed away in Raleigh, the capital of his home state. The [39]wisdom and determination of his mother transformed his naturally impulsive and irritable nature into a model of patience and perseverance. His speeches as a congressman were well-crafted and polished.

1853. Junius Smith died at the age of 74, having dedicated a large part of his life to developing transatlantic steam navigation and introducing the tea plant in the United States.

1854. Alexander De Bodisco died in Georgetown. He was seventeen years the Russian minister in Washington, and he was very popular with the American people.

1855. An earthquake occurred in a part of New Zealand, raising the earth's surface by three to four feet, and the shellfish that were attached to the rocks died.

41. Caius Caligula, the Roman emperor, was assassinated. He started his reign with every indication that he would be a good ruler. But after eight months, he developed a fever that seems to have driven him insane, completely changing his personality. After committing some of the most horrific acts of cruelty and foolishness, he was assassinated by a tribune as he exited the amphitheater, at the age of 29 and in the 4th year of his reign.

76. Birthday of Publius Ælius Adrian, the Roman emperor. He was a famous general and avid traveler; during his visit to Britain, he constructed the well-known wall or rampart that still bears his name, stretching from the mouth of the Tyne to the Solway Firth, 80 miles, to stop the Caledonians from invading England.

1559. Christian II, king of Denmark, died. His story is filled with a string of brutal acts and seizures of power that are nearly unparalleled, from 1515, when he took the throne, until 1523, when he was ousted. The rest of his life was spent in captivity.

1709. George Rooke, an English admiral, passed away. He captured the fortress of Gibraltar unexpectedly in 1704; since then, it has remained in British control and is regarded as impregnable.

1712. Birthday of Frederick the Great of Prussia.

1727. Philip de Vendome, a French general, passed away. He made a name for himself in the army of Louis XIV.

1762. James Ralph, a prolific writer of poetry, politics, and history, died. He was born in America but moved to England around 1729. He wrote a history of England, starting with the Stuarts.

1781. The British garrison in Georgetown, South Carolina, was surprised and captured by General Lee.

1793. The French minister, M. Chauvelin, was ordered to leave England before the 1st of February.

1795. Lord Hood set sail from England on a mission to Corsica.

1797. At a dinner honoring Charles J. Fox, the chairman, the duke of Norfolk raised a toast: "To our sovereign’s health, the greatness of the people;" for this, he lost all his positions.

1812. Daniel McDonald died in Canajoharie at the age of 102. He was originally from Ireland, born during Queen Anne's reign, and had witnessed four kings and queens on the English throne. He was an early and active participant in the Revolutionary War and maintained an impressive level of physical and mental vitality right up until the morning he passed away.

1834. William Donnison, a revolutionary officer, passed away. He was appointed as the adjutant and inspector-general of the Massachusetts militia by Gov. Hancock in 1788, a position he held until 1813.

1838. Joseph Gouge, a soldier from the revolution, passed away at the age of 109.

1838. Defeat of the Native Americans at Loche-Hatchee by the U.S. troops under Gen. Jessup; the latter suffered 7 killed and 32 wounded.

1841. Matthias Denman, a driven western pioneer and one of the first landowners of what is now Cincinnati, passed away in Springfield, N.J., at the age of 91.

1851. G. L. P. Spontini died in Italy; a famous composer known for his contributions to opera.

1857. Dr. Medhurst, an English missionary in China, passed away at the age of 71. He was also a respected linguist and the author of a book about China, a Chinese dictionary, and a Japanese and English vocabulary.

275. Lucius Domitius Aurelianus, the Roman emperor, was assassinated. He was the son of a peasant, and his mother was a priestess of the Temple of the Sun. He started as a common soldier and worked his way up to the highest military ranks during the reigns of Valerian and Claudius, the latter of whom recommended Aurelian to the troops on his deathbed. He freed Italy from the barbarians and defeated the famous Queen Zenobia of Palmyra. He had planned a campaign against Persia and was [40]waiting in Thrace for a chance to cross the straits when he became the target of a conspiracy.

1327. Edward II of England, now a prisoner in Kenilworth Castle, was forced to give up his crown for his son, Edward III.

1533. Henry VIII secretly married Ann Boleyn in a small room at Whitehall.

1640. Robert Burton, an English clergyman, died. He is mainly recognized for his Anatomy of Melancholy, a unique book that is said to have been written to distract himself from his own feelings of sadness.

1692. The Native Americans, along with some French, attacked the town of York in Maine, killed 50 people, took 100 of the residents captive, and destroyed the town.

1717. The episcopal clergy of Scotland, who had previously been fined for not praying for King George by name, were compelled to flee or leave their country.

1726. William de Lisle, a prominent geographer, passed away in Paris. His maps continue to be highly regarded.

1730. A fire that started in the archduchess's apartments in Brussels destroyed the palace along with the national records and state papers.

1745. Action in the Straits of Banca, (Sumatra) between the British ships Debtford and Preston, Com. Barnet, and three French company ships, in which the latter were captured.

1759. Birthday of Robert Burns.

1782. De Grasse attacked the front of the British fleet led by Admiral Hood. The French were pulled away from their anchor point, and through a clever maneuver, the British managed to take it.

1786. Charles Price, one of the most successful counterfeiters ever known, took his own life in prison in London. He managed to forge Bank of England notes for an astonishing amount over six years, continuously evading the most clever methods the police had to catch him, even though the counterfeit notes were traced back to one person, who was always disguised and always out of reach.

1787. Battle with the rebels led by Shays, at Springfield, Mass., who retreated with 3 killed.

1791. George Selwyn, a famous English humorist, passed away at the age of 72.

1804. Jean Jacques Dessalines was declared emperor of Haiti.

1807. Battle at Mohringen, in Prussian Poland, where Bernadotte defeated the Russians led by Pahlin and Salitzin, who suffered 1200 killed and 300 prisoners.

1813. Concordat signed at Versailles, which allowed Napoleon to let the pope carry out his duties in France and Italy just like previous popes had.

1834. The Castle of St. Louis in Quebec, the home of the British governor-general, was destroyed by fire.

1836. General Paez achieved a victory over the rebels in Venezuela near Porto Cabello.

1838. Earthquake in the eastern part of Europe. Seven strong quakes happened over a few days, causing 300 houses to collapse in the city of Bucharest, and resulting in 60 fatalities.

1841. The shock of an earthquake was felt in New York City and nearby areas to such an extent that it caused significant alarm.

1843. Edward Drummund, private secretary to Sir Robert Peel, was murdered in the streets of London. For nearly 20 years, he performed duties just as important as those of a cabinet minister, though less publicly recognized.

1845. Abigail Leonard died in Raynham, Mass., at the age of 101. She was the fifth generation from John Alden, who first arrived on the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock.

1849. The usual convention of the two houses of Congress announced that the people had elected Zachary Taylor as their president and Millard Fillmore as vice-president.

477. Rumblings from underground could be heard at the same time from the Black Sea to the Red Sea, and the ground shook continuously for six months after. In many areas, the air appeared to be on fire. Towns and large areas of land were swallowed up in Phrygia during this upheaval, the details of which would seem unbelievable if they weren't confirmed by historians of the time.

1564. The pope confirmed the decrees of the Council of Trent with a formal declaration.

1630. Henry Briggs, a mathematician from England, passed away.

1679. The keel of the Griffin, the first ship in the western waters, was laid 6 miles west of Niagara Falls by La Salle.

1679. The priceless library of Elias Ashmole was destroyed by fire in his rooms in London, along with his collection of coins and other fascinating antiques.

1681. Two Cameronian women were hanged in Edinburgh for referring to the king and bishops as "perjured, bloody men."

1699. The Peace of Carlowitz was finalized between Leopold I of Austria and Mustapha II, the Sultan of Turkey, after fifteen years of conflict.

[41]1721. Peter Daniel Huet, a renowned French critic and classic scholar, passed away. He spent twenty years working on a complete edition of the Latin classics, which totaled 62 volumes.

1730. A heavy pot containing a human heart preserved in alcohol was dug up at Waverly in Surrey, England, believed to have been there for 700 years.

1733. A Black man was burned alive in New Jersey for assaulting a white woman.

1737. All the debt prisoners in White Chapel Jail, England, were released by the executors of the late Mr. Wright's will, who paid off their debts.

1769. John White, printer and publisher of the Newcastle Courant, died at the age of 81. At the time of his death, he was the oldest master printer in England.

1779. Arnold was sentenced by a court martial to receive a reprimand from Gen. Washington.

1782. De Grasse and the French fleet, consisting of 29 ships, attacked the British under Hood, who had 22 ships, but were pushed back with 1000 killed and wounded. The British loss was minimal.

1787. The assembly of notables gathered in Paris, summoned to assist King Louis XVI and M. Calonne in raising funds to address the urgent needs of the times. M. Calonne presented his new plan for reform and taxation, proposing that the privileged classes share in the financial burden. However, since the assembly was made up of these privileged classes, they hesitated to tax themselves when the lower classes had been bearing the costs until now. The assembly was meant to help the king and his minister out of a difficult situation, but instead, it only worsened their troubles and sped up the revolution.

1793. The position of stadtholder in Holland was abolished, and the Batavian Republic was established under the protection of France.

1793. The Senate of Venice recognized the French Republic.

1795. The French national convention declared Marseilles to be under siege.

1795. The assembly of the states of Holland met and elected Peter Paulus as their president for a period of fifteen days.

1814. The Russians led by Blücher crossed the Marne and headed towards Troyes. At the same time, Bonaparte entered Vitry.

1820. Henry Andrews, a self-taught English mathematician, passed away. For over forty years, he created an almanac for a group of stationers under the name of Francis Moore, a physician, and amazed the simple and uninformed with his incredible predictions. He and the respected group of stationers for whom he annually produced the almanacs both laughed at his prophecies, knowing that a lucky guess could cover up many mistakes among the naive audience. A few years before his death, he predicted that people would soon realize they shouldn't be swayed by the prophecies his employers made him write. He didn't live to see the release of the British Almanac, which led to the downfall of Poor Robin (the title of one of his almanacs), which ceased to exist in 1828.

1823. Edward Jenner passed away at the age of 74, recognized for introducing vaccination as a means to prevent smallpox. He was the youngest son of a clergyman, born in England in 1749. He started his research on cowpox around 1776, and twenty years later, the practice was implemented in hospitals in London. The success of this discovery earned him honorary titles and a £20,000 grant from Parliament.

1838. John O'Neil died at Havre de Grace, Md., recognized for his resistance against the British led by Admiral Cockburn during the last war.

1839. Stephen Van Rensselaer passed away in Albany. He was born in New York City in 1764 and graduated from Harvard in Massachusetts. He was the fifth generation descendant of Kilian Van Rensselaer, the original owner and patentee of the Rensselaerwyck colony, which stretched 48 miles long and 24 miles wide. He held various civil and military positions, was very wealthy, and was recognized for his generous charitable contributions and strong Christian values.

1839. Huge storm and heavy rain in the United States. The river in Philadelphia rose 17 feet above low water mark, and at Kenebec 13 feet above high water mark. New York and Albany experienced significant flooding.

1850. Francis Jeffrey, a Scottish lawyer known for his long association with the Edinburgh Review, passed away at the age of 77.

1853. Sylvester Judd died at 40; a Unitarian minister in Augusta, Me., who wrote several works that gained many fans.

438. St. John Chrysostom, one of the Church Fathers and archbishop of Constantinople, passed away.

1673. Jerome Lallemant, head of the Jesuits in Canada, passed away at 80, leaving a strong legacy in his [42]order. He provided seven of the Relaçons.

1676. The Narragansetts, as they were leaving their land in Rhode Island, took 15 horses, 50 oxen, and 200 sheep from one of the residents of Warwick.

1696. The Royal Sovereign was accidentally burned. She was the first major ship built in England and became one of the best warships in the world. For sixty years, she was so intimidating to her enemies that none of the boldest among them dared to engage her willingly. The fundraising efforts for constructing this impressive vessel sparked the rebellion.

1733. Thomas Woolston, an English theologian, died in prison. He developed a passion for allegorical interpretations of scripture from reading some early writers—especially Origen. His ideas eventually led to a charge of blasphemy, and because he couldn't pay the imposed fine, he remained in prison. He was an educated man but had beliefs that were unique to him, which was a serious offense at that time.

1760. The ice took away one of the dikes of the Rhine, which caused the surrounding area to flood.

1783. The British, led by Gen. Mathews, took control of Bednapore and Candapore without firing a shot, and as a result, the entire region, except for Mangalore, surrendered.

1795. Pichegru made a request to the Dutch for the French army of 200,000 quintals of corn, 5,000,000 rations of hay, 5,000,000 measures of oats, 200,000 rations of straw, 150,000 pairs of shoes, 20,000 pairs of boots, 20,000 cloth coats and waistcoats, 40,000 pairs of stocking breeches, 150,000 pairs of linen pants, 200,000 shirts, 50,000 hats, to be provided within a month, and 12,000 oxen to be provided within two months.

1800. King John's castle, at Old Ford near Bow, in England, was knocked down by a storm. It was built in 1203 and provided the king a place to sleep after signing the Magna Carta.

1807. Burr's conspiracy reported to Congress.

1807. Bonaparte seized the property of Ernest Frederick Anthony, hereditary prince of Saxe Coburg, for serving in the Russian military.

1807. Action between the British ship Caroline and the Spanish ship St. Raphael, which led to the capture of the latter, on its way from Lima to Manila, carrying 500,000 Spanish dollars, 1,700 quintals of copper, and a valuable cargo.

1814. Camp Defiance was attacked by the Indians at dawn. The United States troops and allied Indians were led by Gen. Floyd, who drove back the attackers with heavy losses.

1823. Charles Hutton, a well-known English mathematician, passed away. He was born in 1737; his father, a mines inspector, intended for him to follow in the same profession; however, he achieved significant fame and fortune through his own determination and hard work.

1832. Augustin Daniels, Count de Billiard, died, a French politician and soldier. He fought at Jemappes, was with Bonaparte during the Egyptian campaign; at Austerlitz; in all the major battles in Prussia; at Moskwa; and lost an arm at Leipzig. He served effectively under Louis XVIII and Louis Philippe.

1832. Andrew Bell, the founder of the Bell or Madras education system, passed away. There has been debate over whether Bell or Lancaster is the originator of the monitorial or mutual teaching method. In 1796, Dr. Bell returned from Madras and presented his system to the public. Since then, it has spread widely across the civilized world.

1836. Frederick David Schaeffer passed away, pastor of the German Lutheran church in Philadelphia. He was born and educated in Germany but moved to this country early in his life. He was an educated man, notable for his knowledge of languages.

1840. Isaac Chauncey, a notable American commodore, passed away in Washington.

1841. McLeod was arrested in the state of New York. Although he was involved in the burning of the steamboat Caroline in 1837, he was a British citizen and that government had taken responsibility for that act. His arrest risked damaging the peace between the two countries.

1850. William Atkins Coleman, who had been involved with New York's literature for over thirty years, passed away.

1856. Charles Morris, a commodore in the United States Navy, passed away at the age of 71. He was recognized as a leading figure in the navy for his administrative expertise and diverse professional skills; he showed remarkable bravery and courage during the capture of the Philadelphia and Guerriere; in the latter battle, he was hit in the body by a musket ball.

814. Charlemagne, or Charles I of France, died. He was a renowned ruler, both in the office and on the battlefield; and although he could not write his name, he supported scholars and revived education. He lacked the quality of compassion.

1547. Henry VIII of England became so large and heavy that a machine had to lift him up and down the stairs. After being ill for several weeks, he succumbed to his sickness and died in the 38th year of his reign and at the age of 56. He divorced his first wife 20 years after they got married and, over the next ten years, married five more women. Henry's reign was one of the most significant in the history of the kingdom. He instilled so much fear that no other English king faced fewer limitations on his power. No one but he could have broken the ties that connected the nation to the papacy and successfully resisted the authority and influence of the pope.

1588. Thomas Carn died in London at the age of 207; a case of longevity that surpasses any other on modern record, but is well documented in the parish register of St. Leonard, Shoreditch. An elderly man passed away in Ekaterinoslaf, Russia, in 1813, at an age between 200 and 205 years; and Don John Taveira de Lima died in Portugal in 1738 at the age of 198.

1596. Francis Drake, the first Englishman to sail around the world, died on his own ship. (See Jan. 9.)

1612. Thomas Bodley died. He spent the last fifteen years of his life actively gathering manuscripts and books for the library at Oxford that carries his name, and through his dedication, it became one of the most renowned libraries in Europe.

1687. John Hevelius passed away, a distinguished German astronomer.

1725. Peter the Great of Russia died at the age of 53. He dedicated his life to civilizing his people and lifting the nation from barbarism and ignorance to courtesy, knowledge, and strength. He put in great effort and endured fatigue to gain knowledge that he believed would benefit his subjects.

1732. The Protestants of Salzburg, expelled from their homeland, settled in Brandenburg at the invitation of the King of Prussia.

1738. The first stone of Westminster Bridge over the Thames was laid.

1782. John Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville, the French geographer, passed away. He was admired not only for his gentle and straightforward nature but also for his vast knowledge. He dedicated fifteen hours a day to working on his maps for fifty years.

1782. James Murray, a highly regarded historical writer and pastor, died in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1790. The Jews of Spain, Portugal, and Avignon were granted the privileges of French citizens.

1794. John Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf died in Leipzig. He gained significant fame as a printer and type founder. His foundry housed punches and matrices for 400 alphabets. He enhanced the printing press and discovered a new way to make melting and casting easier. Types from his foundry were sent to Russia, Sweden, Poland, and even America. With only five or six hours of sleep, he dedicated his entire life to study and productive work.

1796. The Prince of Wales, the regent of England, was attacked in his carriage by the crowd.

1797. Battle of Unroomster, in India; Zemaun Shah attacked the Sikhs at 8 o'clock in the morning by opening his shutah renauls, or wall pieces mounted on camels, and maintained a heavy fire until 2 o'clock, when the Sikhs signaled for a general charge. True to their style in close combat, they threw away their turbans, let their hair down, put their beards in their mouths, and charged into the midst of the Huddalah army. The two armies fought hand-to-hand for four hours, when Zemaun's troops retreated and were chased all the way to the gates of Lahore. The Sikhs lost 15,000 men; the Shah's forces had 20,000 killed.

1803. Madame Clairon, a French actress, died. From a very young age, she showed a passion for the stage, and after choosing a career in theater, she quickly became the leading tragic performer of her time, remaining unmatched for a long time. She published Mémoires et Réflexions sur la Déclamation Théatrale.

1804. Joseph Nicholas d'Azara, a Spanish diplomat, passed away at the age of 73. He met Napoleon in 1796, who held him in high regard. He was a passionate supporter of the arts and sciences, and built an impressive library along with a valuable collection of paintings and antiques, which he unfortunately lost during the political upheavals of the era.

1816. Richard Joachim Henry Von Moellendorf, a Prussian general, died. He led the Prussian troops involved in the shameful division of Poland in 1793, during which he did everything within his power to help the Poles in their unfortunate circumstances.

1818. Nathan Birdseye died in Stratford, Conn., at the age of 103. His funeral was attended by 100 of his descendants; the total number was 258.

1836. William Scott, Baron Stowell, passed away. He served as a judge in the [44]court of admiralty in England for thirty years with remarkable skill. He was said to be the life and soul of every group he was involved with, and his generosity earned him widespread respect and admiration.

1841. William Hogg died in Brownsville, PA, at the age of 86, leaving an estate worth one million dollars to his heirs. Fifty years before his death, he crossed the Allegheny Mountains with a pack of goods on his back, which was all he owned, and soon after opened a small store in Brownsville, the first one in that area.

1842. The first stone of the Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem was laid, at a depth of 35 feet from the surface. It stands on Mount Zion, and the condition of the debris that had built up since the time of David made it necessary to dig down to 42 feet to reach the natural rock.

1854. Lewis W. Chamberlayne, a physician from Virginia, passed away; he was one of the founders of the Richmond Medical College, where he served as a distinguished professor.

1854. A bullet cartridge factory in Ravenswood, L. I., exploded, killing 20 workers and destroying 50,000 cartridges.

1854. The steamer Georgia, from Montgomery, Alabama, carrying 200 passengers and 1,000 bales of cotton, caught fire in New Orleans, and 60 passengers lost their lives.

1855. With the Panama railroad finished, the first train traveled across it today.

164 B. C. Antiochus Epiphanes, the major adversary of the Jews, passed away.

1559. Thomas Pope, the founder of Trinity College, Dublin, passed away.

1597. Anthony Shirley, leading a British squadron, landed in Jamaica and marched six miles to the main town, which surrendered to him.

1720. John Adams, a well-known English preacher, passed away.

1728. Dean Swift's Stella passed away in Dublin.

1743. Andrew Hercule de Fleury, cardinal and prime minister of Louis XV, died at the age of 90. He was 73 when he became head of the ministry, during a time when the state was in terrible shape. He repaired the damage to his country and, without violence or cruelty, established and enhanced the internal happiness of France, along with its national glory.

1762. From Christmas until now, the weather has been extremely cold in England. They say the ice on the Thames was over five feet thick!

1780. The coldest day in 25 years in Philadelphia.

1812. A desperate attempt by a black man to set fire to the British privateer Speedwell. He was killed after 7 shots were fired at him.

1814. Battle of Brienne, where the French forces led by Napoleon secured a minor victory against the allies commanded by Blücher, who barely avoided capture. It was here that Bonaparte developed the foundational skills in military strategy that he would later use to nearly dominate the world.

1820. George III died. It was during his reign that tensions in America erupted into open conflict, leading to the loss of an empire for the British throne. In 1810, he stepped back from government duties, and the time until his death was marked by insanity. He passed away at the age of 82 and in the 59th year of his reign.

1824. Louisa Maria Caroline, Countess of Albany, died in Florence at the age of 72. She was the daughter of a German prince and married Charles Stuart, the English pretender, which is how she got the title Countess of Albany. They lived in Rome and had a small court where they were referred to as king and queen. However, the relationship was unhappy, and to escape her husband’s cruelty, she retired to a convent and later moved to France. After Charles died in 1788, she returned to Italy. She then secretly married the poet Alfieri, and the French court granted her an annuity of 60,000 livres. Alfieri admitted that he owed his inspiration to her and that without her friendship, he would never have accomplished anything remarkable. Their ashes rest together under a shared monument in the church of Santa Croce, between the tombs of Machiavelli and Michelangelo.

1829. Paul Francis Jean Nicholas de Barras, a French revolutionary, died. As a member of the national convention, he voted for the king's execution; later, after crossing Robespierre, he led the forces that captured the tyrant. As commander-in-chief of the convention's troops, he assigned Bonaparte to the position where he first made a name for himself on October 5, 1795. His political career ended in 1799 when he was given a passport to his estate by Napoleon, who was then the first consul.

1829. Timothy Pickering, an American soldier and statesman, passed away. In public life, he was known for his energy, skill, and selflessness; as a soldier, he was courageous and patriotic; and his writings [45]demonstrate his talent and knowledge. He was one of the leaders of the Federalist Party.

1834. Duel in Paris between Gen. Bugeaud and M. Dulong, members of the chamber of deputies; Dulong was killed.

1855. Nicholas commanded the creation of a general militia for the Russian empire.

422 B. C. A census of the people living in Athens was conducted, and it reported that the number of males was 20,000.

405 BC Sophocles died in Athens.

1560. A phenomenon observed in London, called the burning spears, being one of the earliest records of that appearance now well known as the aurora borealis.

1601. Scipio Ammirati, an Italian historian, passed away. He authored a history of Florence, released in 2 volumes, folio.

1606. Everard Digby was hanged, drawn, and quartered at the west end of St. Paul's Church, London. He was involved in the gunpowder plot, having offered £1500 to help cover the costs of that terrible plan. He also hosted Fawkes, who was supposed to carry out the plot from his house, and was captured in open rebellion with other Catholics after the plot was uncovered and failed.

1644. William Chillingworth died; known for his talent as a religious debater and a defender of Protestantism against Catholicism.

1647. King Charles I was handed over to parliament by the Scots for £200,000. Some believe it’s not fitting for the nation.

1649. Charles I was executed. He was born in Scotland in 1600 and became king of Britain in 1625. His reign was marked by conflicts with his parliaments over obtaining resources, which ultimately led to his execution. He was tried for treason against the people and sentenced with just three days to prepare.

1660. William Oughtred, an English minister and mathematician, reportedly died from overwhelming joy at the return of Charles II, whom he referred to as Christ's anointed.

1661. The heads of Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw, and Henry Ireton were displayed on poles at Westminster Hall, and their bodies were buried under the gallows at Tyburn, where their remains had previously been hanged.

1678. The cost of the equestrian statue of Charles I at Charing Cross, London, was covered with part of £70,000 allocated for his funeral celebration.

1691. Pope Alexander III passed away, following a reign of just 15 months.

1735. George Granville, Viscount Lansdowne, a well-known English poet, died. After unsuccessfully trying to find a military position to support James II, whom he was passionately loyal to, he withdrew to private life, cherishing the company of his muse, which he used to celebrate the beautiful people of his time, following in Waller's footsteps.

1757. Calcutta was retaken by Colonel Clive.

1766. James Bartholomew Beccaria, an Italian doctor and professor of natural philosophy, passed away. His works are highly regarded.

1766. Susanna Maria Cibber passed away. She was regarded as the top actress in England, and many believed she surpassed the famous Madame Clairon of Paris, who was her contemporary.

1805. John Robinson, a renowned mathematician from Edinburgh, passed away.

1809. Attack on Saragossa in Spain by the French led by Junot, Lannes, and Mortier. The Spaniards put up a fierce resistance; a group of women was even organized to defend the city. The houses were captured one at a time; they had to tunnel through more than 600 to gain control of them.

1810. Several meteorites fell in Caswell County, North Carolina.

1826. The first mail was carried over the Menai suspension bridge, which connects the island of Anglesey with the Welsh shore.

1833. Joseph Bluydenburge died in Smithtown, L. I., at the age of 101, maintaining the strength of excellent health until the last week of his life.

1834. An attempt to assassinate the president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was made by Richard Lawrence.

1834. Rudolph Ackerman, who made significant advancements in lithography and was the first to use gas lighting in England, passed away.

1837. Explosion of the magazine of the French garrison at Bona in Algiers, containing 12,000 pounds of gunpowder and 1 million musket cartridges. The commandant and 108 men were killed, and 102 were wounded.

1837. The town of Jaffa in Palestine was destroyed by an earthquake. Of 15,000 residents, only 2,000 escaped being buried in the ruins.

1837. Adam Azelius, the last surviving student of Linnæus, passed away; known for his journeys in Asia and Africa.

1841. The town of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, which had around 600 buildings, was devastated by fire. Losses were estimated between two and four million dollars.

1852. The king of Naples, through a decree, seized the property of Neapolitan emigrants.

[46]1855. Herman Knickerbacker passed away at 75; he was known as the prince of Schaghticoke, being the third generation from the original settler in that area.

1000 B. C. It’s common to mark the completion of the temple of Hercules at Tyre on this day, along with the death of Anchises, which happened 183 years earlier.

1574. Birthday of **Ben Jonson**.

1578. Battle of Gemblours, in the Netherlands, where the Spanish regained their dominance in the Walloon provinces, which were strongly Catholic.

1606. Guido Fawkes executed. He was an officer in the Spanish service, involved in the gunpowder plot, and found in the vault beneath the House of Lords, ready to ignite the explosives that would destroy the enemies of the Catholic faith in one devastating blow.

1616. Jacob Le Maire, a Dutchman, discovered Cape Horn, the southern tip of the American continent.

1686. In Norway, Courland, and Pomerania, there fell a large amount of a membranous substance that was brittle and blackish, resembling burnt paper. Baron Grotthus analyzed a sample of this substance, which has been kept in a natural history cabinet, and he found it to consist of silica, iron, lime, carbon, magnesium, a trace of chromium, and sulfur, but not a single particle of nickel.

1692. Massacre of Glencoe, Scotland. King William, whose main quality was not compassion, signed and approved the warrant, which was sent to the secretary for Scotland, who specifically ordered the executioners to take no prisoners. The people were brutally killed, and the area was stripped of any social presence.

1718. Ashton Lever died in Manchester, England. He was a collector of natural history specimens and owned one of the best museums in the world.

1750. The Student, a highly regarded publication, was released today in Oxford, England.

1754. The first issue of the Connoisseur was published, led by Coleman, Bonnell Thornton, Chesterfield, and others.

1775. Capt. Cooke discovered Southern Thule, shortly after Sandwich Land, which he speculated might be a continent due to the large amounts of ice observed.

1737. The attorney general told the Irish parliament that there was an uprising in County Kerry, where people had sworn an oath to follow the laws of Captain Right (a made-up name) and to boycott the clergy.

1788. Charles Stuart, the pretender to the English throne, died in Rome. He was the grandson of James II, born in Rome in 1720. In 1745, he landed in Scotland with just seven companions and marched south, gaining support and pushing through until he reached within 100 miles of London. Here, his progress was stopped, and the battle of Culloden sealed his fate. He wandered through the highlands of Scotland for five months, often without food, with a bounty of £30,000 on his head. He eventually escaped on a French ship and spent his remaining days in indulgence.

1795. The assembly of the states of Holland passed a declaration of rights at the Hague, marking the first public document of its kind.

1801. Sale of fine white bread banned in London and replaced with brown bread.

1813. Samuel M'Keehan, a surgeon's assistant in the Ohio militia, was sent by General Harrison with a flag of truce and money for supplies for the wounded prisoners captured on January 22nd. He spent the night in a cave at the foot of the Miami River, leaving his horse and carriage at the entrance and the flag displayed. Around midnight, a group of Indians fired at them, injuring the doctor in the foot, killing and scalping his companion, Mr. Lamont, and taking his belongings. They took the money, horse, blankets, etc., and forced the doctor to walk 20 miles that night on foot.

1826. François D'Etienne Lantier, a well-known playwright in France, passed away in Marseilles.

1828. Alexander Ypsilanti, a Greek patriot, died in Vienna at the age of 36. He fought for his country's freedom but faced opposition from the emperors of Russia and Austria, and was imprisoned by the latter for seven years. His early death is believed to be a result of his imprisonment.

1833. Otho, prince of Bavaria, arrived in Napoli di Romania as the first king of restored Greece; at that time, he had not yet turned 18.

1838. Osceola, the famous Seminole chief, died in Charleston, S.C., at the age of 35. From a wandering child, he became the driving force behind a long and fierce war. He was a clever and insightful leader who gradually and firmly gained unstoppable influence over his adopted tribe through his daring actions, unwavering opposition to the whites, and the deep cunning of his strategies.

1839. James Byles died at Oyster Bay, NY, at the age of 118. He was originally from France and came to this country as a boy, [47]served as a soldier under Wolfe, and fought in the battle of Quebec.

1843. Was living in Caracas, South America, Maria de la Cruz Carvallo, aged 144. Her hair, which had been white with age, turned back to black at the age of 133; and her sight, which she completely lost at 118, came back at 138, allowing her to thread a needle.

1854. The railroad track in Erie, PA, was torn up for the second time by a mob.

1855. The western railroads were blocked with snow, and travel was almost completely obstructed for several days. There was no communication between St. Louis and Chicago for eleven days. Seventeen locomotives were frozen in or buried by snow on the Chicago and Mississippi railroad.

[48]

107. St. Ignatius died or was killed.

1461. Battle of Mortimer's Cross, where Edward, duke of York (later Edward IV), avenged his father's death with a decisive victory over the royalists led by Jasper, earl of Pembroke.

1642. Edward Finch passed away. He served as the vicar of Christ Church, London, from which he was removed for preaching in a surplice and mingling with women.

1681. John Edward Nidhard, an Austrian Jesuit, passed away. He was appointed the inquisitor-general and minister of Spain.

1684. Robert Leighton, a Scottish bishop, passed away. For several years, he used his skills and influence in a futile attempt to reconcile Presbyterians and Episcopalians. As a preacher, he was admired more than all his peers, and his works still remain popular.

1686. Francis Blondel passed away; recognized for his expertise in geometry and literary works; he was a professor of mathematics and architecture and a tutor to the dauphin of France.

1702. Marshal Villeroy, the general of the French and Spanish armies in Italy, was caught off guard in his bed in Cremona and captured by the imperialists led by Prince Eugene.

1708. Captain Rogers found Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandez island, where he had lived alone for four years and four months.

1718. Daniel Francis Voisin, the chancellor of France, passed away. He was well-known for his skills, honesty, and moral character.

1733. Frederick Augustus, elector of Saxony and king of Poland, died. His court was one of the most magnificent and sophisticated in Europe, and he held his position among the European powers with dignity. His character combined noble ideals with authoritarian tendencies; a love for pleasure with the responsibilities of ambition; and the restlessness of a warrior spirit with the indulgence of a luxurious lifestyle. Accounts of his incredible strength are noted, which seem almost unbelievable.

1775. The new congress of Massachusetts met in Cambridge and elected John Hancock as their president.

1781. Lord Cornwallis and the British army crossed the Catawba at M'Cowan's ford. Their crossing was challenged by Wm. Davidson, lieutenant colonel in command of the North Carolina line and brigadier general of militia, along with 300 militia. Davidson was overwhelmed and was killed by a bullet in the chest. Cornwallis had his horse shot out from under him.

1789. The first president of the United States is elected.

1793. France declared war against England and Holland.

1796. A stone was thrown at the carriage of George III, king of England, as he was coming back from the Drury Lane Theatre. It struck the queen in the face.

1800. Battle between the United States frigate Constellation, Capt. Truxton, and the French frigate La Vengeance with 54 guns. The fighting lasted from 8 AM until after noon, when the Vengeance was totally silenced; however, it managed to escape to Curacao during a squall, arriving in terrible shape, having lost 160 men killed and wounded.

1801. Daniel Nicholas Chodowiecki, a German painter and engraver, passed away. He dedicated himself to miniature painting to support his mother. His initial attempts at engraving amazed art critics, and soon hardly a book was published in Prussia that didn’t include at least one of his vignettes. He was widely respected for his honesty.

1804. J. Packer died at Spinningfield, England, at the age of 33, weighing 29 stone.

1813. The American privateer schooner Hazard, Capt. Le Chartier, armed with 3 guns and 38 men, captured the British merchant ship Albion, which had 12 guns and a crew of 15; on the 23rd, she was recaptured by the British cutter Caledonia, armed with 8 guns and 38 men; on the 26th, the Hazard encountered both ships and took them again; however, only the Albion was brought into St. Mary's. The Hazard suffered injuries to her first lieutenant and 6 men, but she was heavily damaged. A significant number [49] of the Caledonia's crew were killed or injured.

1814. Bonaparte was defeated by the allied army near Chaumenil.

1814. A devastating eruption of Albay in Luzon, one of the Philippines.

1815. Eruption of the volcano of Albay, in the province of Camarines, on the southern part of one of the Philippine islands, in the Indian Ocean; this devastating disaster completely destroyed five large towns and over 1200 residents lost their lives.

1824. Henry Bate Dudley died. He was born in England in 1745, trained for the ministry, and took over his father's position. He started the Morning Post and later several other newspapers, showcasing his writing skills by producing several hit comedies. He was honored with a baronetcy and was serving as a magistrate for eleven counties at the time of his death.

1824. John Lempriere died, author of the Biographical Dictionary. He was an English church leader and a highly skilled classical scholar.

1833. Elizabeth Moore passed away in Pitt County, North Carolina, at the age of 101.

1837. A memorial was submitted to Congress, signed by 56 authors from Great Britain, asking that body to grant them the exclusive rights to their individual writings in the United States.

1837. Edward Donovan passed away near London, a well-known writer on natural history.

1837. Simpson, working for the Hudson Bay Company, arrived in Athabasca after completing a journey of 1277 miles since December 1st, marking the preliminary step of the expedition.

1845. Samuel McGwinn, known as the Caithness Veteran, died in Andover, New Hampshire, at the age of 110.

1851. Mary Wollstonecraft, widow of Percy Bysshe Shelley, passed away at the age of 53; recognized for her works Travels and Frankenstein.

1852. The Ohio State House burned down, and a significant amount of important documents were lost with it.

1854. Silvio Pellico died near Turin, Italy. In 1820, he was taken by the Austrians as a carbonaro while working as a tutor and was imprisoned in the fortress of Spielberg for ten years. After his release, he worked as a librarian for the Marchesa Barolo until his death.

1854. The impressive Parliament building in Quebec, along with the government library and scientific equipment, was destroyed by fire.

1855. The United States surveying steamer Water Witch, traveling up the Paraguay in violation of the rule that no warship should enter that river, was shot at from the fort, resulting in one person being killed. The Water Witch returned fire and retreated downstream.

1856. Ivan Fedorowitch Paskiewitsch, the vice-roy of Poland, passed away at the age of 74. He made a name for himself in every war of the Russian empire, starting with the invasion in 1812.

1141. Battle of Lincoln, and defeat of Stephen, king of England, by the earl of Gloucester. The king, whose bravery deserved a better fate, was captured, shackled, and Matilda was declared queen.

1421. Henry V entered London after completely conquering France, which took about five years, and was welcomed by the people with celebrations and festivities like the city had never seen before.

1461. Battle of Mortimer's Cross near Ludlow, where the king's forces were defeated, Owen Tudor was captured and executed.

1529. Balthazar Castiglione, an Italian nobleman and poet, died. He was also so talented in painting, sculpture, and architecture that it is said Raphael and Michelangelo, despite being unmatched artists, never considered their works complete unless they had his approval.

1626. Charles I of England was crowned at Westminster. He wore the white robe instead of the purple one, and to help stop the spread of the plague, he skipped the usual ceremony of riding in state.

1643. Prince Rupert captured Cirencester for Charles in a surprise attack; 200 killed.

1653. New York City established.

1682. John Pautre passed away; a notable French designer and engraver. His works were published in 3 volumes, folio size, and featured over 1000 engravings.

1688. Abraham du Quesne died. He was from Normandy in France and made a name for himself in the navy through a series of brave and successful battles.

1705. A new eruption from the peak of Teneriffe created the third volcanic vent.

1723. Richard Sare, a prominent printer, passed away. A sermon delivered at his funeral was well received and was published in many editions.

1745. A conspiracy of 900 enslaved people to kill their masters in Jamaica was revealed by an enslaved woman to her mistress, because the conspirators refused to save a child she had cared for.

1752. The contributors to the Pennsylvania [50] hospital, after renting a house, welcomed their first patients.

1768. Arthur Onslow died. He was the speaker of the English House of Commons for 33 years and the third member of his family to hold that position.

1771. John Lockman, an English playwright, passed away.

1787. Gen. Arthur St. Clair was elected president of the American Congress.

1788. James Stuart died; often referred to as Athenian Stuart, a highly regarded traveler and expert on Athenian architecture.

1794. The French convention declared it treason for any officer to surrender his ship to a force that was less than double his own!

1797. Mantua surrendered to the French, who now became total rulers of the pope's territories; following this, Napoleon dictated to his holiness those religious terms of peace that were signed ten days later.

1798. The Federal street theatre in Boston was completely destroyed by fire.

1799. Thomas Paine, often referred to as the Literary Merchant, passed away. Not many business people become writers.

1799. Elizabeth Woodcock, an English woman, was coming home from the market on one of the stormiest nights ever recorded in England when she got stuck in a snowdrift, where she stayed for eight days without food. When she was found, her mind was completely clear, but she had lost the use of her feet and died a few months later.

1801. The first imperial parliament of Great Britain met in London.

1804. George Walton died, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was originally from Virginia, trained as a carpenter, moved to Georgia, and studied law. He was a leader among the patriots in that state who came together to plan ways to resist the Parliament's laws regarding American taxation.

1806. Miranda set sail from New York on his mission to bring revolution to South America.

1806. Thomas Banks died. He started as a wood carver and completed an apprenticeship in that field. However, after winning several awards for his sculpture models, he shifted his focus to that art form and was sent to Rome to study at the academy's expense. After his time in Italy, he went to Russia, where he stayed for two years; but not receiving enough support, he returned to his home country. His masterpiece is a colossal statue of Achilles mourning the loss of Briseis. He passed away at the age of 70 after a life of hard work, and there are monuments in both Russia and England that will long showcase his talent.

1807. Battle of Bergfried near the lower Vistula. Bonaparte defeated the Russians after a fierce and bloody fight, where Soult, Augereau, etc., greatly distinguished themselves. The French captured four cannons and 1700 prisoners. On the same day, the French general Guyot took control of all the Russian supplies at Guttstadt.

1808. The French undermined the papal government in Rome.

1814. Bonaparte was defeated at Brienne, losing 173 cannons and 4,000 men.

1817. The Scottish regalia, which had been stored in a chest since 1707, (see March 26) was examined by a group. The doors were taken off, and the floor was found to be covered with 6 inches of dust. Since no keys were found, the wooden chest was forced open and discovered to hold the ancient crown, scepter, and sword of state, just as they had been put away 111 years earlier.

1820. Benjamin Trumbull passed away at the age of 92. He was the author of a History of Connecticut.

1831. A. Bonpland, the famous traveler, was allowed to leave Paraguay, where he had been held for about nine years, by the dictator Francia.

1834. Richard Lander, the adventurous explorer who mapped the course of the Niger, passed away in Fernando Po, Africa, from injuries inflicted by local tribes. All his documents were lost. The British government granted his wife and daughter a pension of £150.

1834. Lorenzo Dow died at the age of 57; he was an eccentric traveling preacher. Born in Connecticut, he received a good elementary education, but in his youth, he developed some bad habits, which he overcame around the age of 14. At an early age, he felt a calling to preach, and in following this impulse, he embarked on a career likely unmatched. Despite suffering from serious health issues, he engaged in an extraordinary amount of traveling and preaching. Before turning 25, he once rode 1,500 miles and held 184 meetings in just over ten weeks; about a year later, he traveled 4,000 miles through the southern states, preaching consistently over seven months, completing his journey without stockings, shoes, or a coat, and nearly without a horse. For several years afterward, he traveled between 7,000 and 10,000 miles annually and held six or seven hundred meetings each year. It’s estimated that over his 38 years of public life, he must have traveled 200,000 miles, which included three trips to England and Ireland. During these rapid journeys, he consistently turned down donations and contributions, except for immediate needs; for the first eighteen years, his travel expenses were more than half of his income. However, his books later became profitable, and eventually, he became the creator and seller of a family medicine! that was purely speculative. He was married twice, with his second wife outliving him. He was well-known throughout the United States, as there were few places, no matter how remote, that he hadn’t visited.

1839. Deborah Logan passed away in Stanton, Pa. She was a member of the Pennsylvania historical society and was more familiar with the early history of that state than anyone else alive.

1840. Olinthus Gregori, an English mathematician, passed away at the age of 67. He served as a professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich for over thirty years and oversaw the almanacs published by the Stationers' Company, a responsibility that had previously been managed by Dr. Hutton. He published works on mathematics, biography, and religion.

1841. William Bartlett, a prominent and affluent merchant from Newburyport, and a generous supporter of the theological seminary in Andover, passed away at the age of 93.

1851. Joanna Baillie, a Scottish playwright, passed away at the age of 85.

1852. A 63-year-old priest attacked the queen of Spain with a dagger while she was returning from church, for which he was executed.

1855. G. Fletcher, an English Wesleyan preacher, died at the age of 108. Until just six months before his death, he maintained an impressive level of mental and physical activity, often preaching three times a day without feeling tired.

1856. The House of Representatives in Washington elected a Speaker after a nine-week contest.

1014. Sweyn, King of Denmark, passed away.

1399. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, died. He was the son of Edward III; a prince known for his bravery and wisdom, and a supporter of the poet Chaucer.

1497. "John Cabot of Venice and his son Sebastian," were commissioned by Henry VII of England to take six ships of 200 tons capacity from any port in the kingdom to embark on a western voyage of discovery. This expedition was prepared by the beginning of May and included two caravels loaded by the merchants of London and Bristol, along with some smaller vessels.

1619. By letters patent dated this day, James I granted Ben Jonson a pension of 100 marks for life, "in recognition of the good and valuable service previously provided and to be provided in the future by the said B. J."

1649. Charles II declared king by the Scots.

1660. Charles X of Sweden passed away. He took the throne in 1654 and was a wise, though aggressive, ruler.

1698. Ernest Augustus, duke of Hanover, bishop of Osnabruck, and father of George I of England, passed away.

1700. Filippo Acciaguoli, an Italian playwright and composer, passed away. He made several advancements in the machinery and layout of theaters.

1730. Elizabeth Thomas, an English poet, passed away. She is known by the name Corinne.

1761. Richard Nash, known as Beau Nash, passed away at the age of 87. He was the most refined gentleman in England.

1779. The American General Moultrie defeated 200 British soldiers at Port Royal Island, South Carolina, and drove them off the island. Moultrie had 1 lieutenant and 7 privates killed and 22 wounded. The British lost most of their officers.

1779. A mutiny was suppressed on the United States frigate Alliance, which was heading to France with M. de Lafayette and several distinguished French gentlemen on board. Half of the crew was involved, and steps were taken to stop it just a few hours before it was set to take place. There were plans for extreme cruelty against the officers and the French. This was the first organized mutiny ever recorded in the American service. The mutineers numbered 36.

1781. The Americans, closely chased by the British after the battle of the Cowpens, crossed the Yadkin River and secured their boats on the north side, when a sudden rise in the river halted the enemy's pursuit. During this retreat, the Americans faced extreme hardships with remarkable resilience, and their incredible escape reinforced their belief that their cause was blessed by heaven.

1781. St. Eustatia, one of the West Indies islands, was captured by the British under Rodney. The loot amounted to over £3,000,000, in addition to 6 Dutch armed frigates and 150 ships, many of which were heavily loaded. The British flew the Dutch flag, which tricked several Dutch, French, and American vessels into being captured.

[52]1782. Demerary and Essequibo were surrendered by the French under a formal agreement.

1783. The approval of the preliminary peace agreements exchanged in Paris.

1786. Gaspard Risbeck, a German writer, passed away.

1794. George III and Queen Charlotte went to the Hay Market theatre, which drew such a huge crowd that more than 15 people were trampled to death.

1794. The French convention welcomed the representatives from St. Domingo, which included one Black person, one mixed-race person, and one white person; and at the same time declared that all people of color who had been enslaved by a tyrannical force were still free and equal citizens alongside white people.

1795. A summary of the French victories from September 8th, 1793, to this date, presented to the convention by Carnot, shows the following results: 27 victories, 6 of which were in major battles; 120 lesser engagements; 80,000 enemies killed, and 91,000 captured; 117 important fortresses, 36 of which were taken after a lengthy siege; 230 forts; 38,000 pieces of artillery; 17,000 muskets; 19,000 pounds of gunpowder, and 90 flags.

1797. Faenza in Italy was taken by force by the French led by Victor, later known as the Duke of Belluno.

1800. Four British ships, with a total of 106 guns, captured the French frigate Pallas, which had 42 guns and 350 men, off Seven Islands after a fierce battle that lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. The British lost 10 men killed and 34 wounded.

1807. The British attacked Montevideo.

1808. The Neapolitan troops in Reggio surrendered to the French.

1809. The French national ship l'Iris, with 24 guns, was captured by the British ship l'Amiable.

1809. The Spanish junta in Seville ordered their troops to show no mercy to the French found in Spain.

1810. The British ship Valiant, armed with 74 guns, captured the French frigate Cannoniere, which had 14 guns and a cargo valued at $800,000.

1810. The French destroyed the mercury mines at El Almoden del Azoque, near Seville.

1810. Guadaloupe gave up to the British.

1813. The Spanish court abolished the Inquisition.

1814. Bonaparte entered Troyes. On the same day, the Russians and Prussians bombarded Vitry, which was defended by the French forces led by Gen. Montmartre.

1831. The Duke of Nemours was elected as the king of Belgium.

1832. George Crabbe died; one of the most well-known modern British poets.

1832. Charles Victor de Bonstetten passed away at the age of 87; a notable Swiss moralist, politician, metaphysician, geologist, and traveler.

1836. Marie Letitia Bonaparte, the mother of Napoleon, passed away. She was born in Ajaccio in 1750; her maiden name was Romolini; she was considered one of the most beautiful women in Corsica; married, amidst civil unrest, Charles Bonaparte, an officer who fought alongside Paoli; she became a widow in 1785, having given birth to 13 children, of whom 5 sons and 3 daughters survived their father and became well-known. Madame Bonaparte was a woman of remarkable strength and determination.

1844. The cold weather continued in the northern parts of the United States. Long Island Sound was frozen several miles north of New York, and a seven-mile canal was cut through the ice in Boston to let the British steamer head out to sea.

1852. Battle of Santos Lugares, near Buenos Aires, between Urquiza's army of 30,000 men and 50 cannons and Rosas's army of 25,000 men and 90 cannons. Rosas was defeated and sought refuge on an English steamer. The city was protected from looting by warships from various nations in the harbor.

1856. The thermometer hit 30° below zero in Kansas, and the cold spread across the United States, reaching levels not seen before in some areas.

211. Lucius Septimus Severus, emperor of Rome, died in York, England. His sons, Geta and Caracalla, were called back from Scotland due to this event, where they were discussing with Fingal about the heath and mountains, her long-standing stubborn independence.

836. Egbert, the last king of the Saxon heptarchy and the first king of England, passed away.

856. Magnentius Maurus Rabanus, an educated German scholar, passed away. He wrote many works on theology.

1194. Richard, Coeur de Lion, freed from his captivity.

1536. The Parliament of England eliminated everything related to the pope's authority in their territory.

1555. John Rogers, a prebendary of St. Paul's and the first martyr, was burned at Smithfield.

1607. James Menochius died; a civilian from Pavia with exceptional talents.

1644. A huge comet that had scared the straight-laced people of New England with its enormous tail disappeared on this day, much to their relief.

[53]1648. George Abbot, an English politician and religious writer, died. He was one of the judges who participated in the trial of Charles I and signed his death warrant.

1660. Gen. Monk, known for bringing back Charles II, marched into London and suggested a government that was moderately Presbyterian.

1665. The first issue of the London Gazette was published by Sir Roger l'Estrange.

1687. Francis de Crequi, marshal of France, died. He was known for his military ventures and heroic bravery.

1692. Goree was captured from the French by the English led by Gen. Booker.

1693. An earthquake in Sicily destroyed Catania and took the lives of 1800 citizens.

1746. Robert Blair, a Scottish priest and poet, passed away. The only work of his that we have is The Grave, a powerful and striking poem.

1749. John James Heidegger died in London. He was born in Switzerland and came to England, where his taste and judgment in opera led to his appointment as the manager of the opera house and the masquerades. He was the most unattractive man in the kingdom, but he was good-humored, generous, and charitable.

1756. A mummy dug up near Auvergne in France.

1762. Samuel Davies, an American minister, died at the age of 36. He worked for several years as a Presbyterian pastor in Virginia, where the act of uniformity was strictly enforced, and he founded the first presbytery in that state. His sermons have been published in multiple editions on both sides of the Atlantic.

1774. Charles Marie de la Condamine died. He had a bold spirit that led him to join the army. However, with the restoration of peace, his hopes for advancement were dashed, so he traveled to Turkey and Asia. Upon his return to Paris, the academy was planning to send a team to the equator for scientific research. His desire to be involved in such a risky endeavor turned him into an astronomer. The challenges and struggles he faced in South America were made worse by the conflicts and jealousy that arose among his fellow travelers. He died while undergoing surgery for an illness he contracted in Peru. He was well-regarded and left behind many valuable works.

1779. John Hamilton Mortimer, a notable English historical painter, passed away.

1783. End of fighting with Great Britain, and final conclusion of the seven years' war of the revolution, which liberated the American colonies from the claims of the mother country, and gave a new nation to the world.

1787. Jacob Wismer died at the age of 103. He was originally from Germany, came to America during Queen Anne's reign, and settled in Pennsylvania; there, he married his third wife, with whom he was together for 67 years, and he had 170 descendants.

1790. Louis XVI pledged to uphold the new constitution.

1793. An embargo was placed on all French ships in Great Britain.

1794. The Massachusetts legislature repealed the law against theatrical performances, and the Federal Street Theatre opened as a regular, legal venue, featuring Gustavus Vasa and Modern Antiques.

1796. The British ship Aurora, part of Admiral Christian's fleet and with 160 men on board, had been kept afloat for three weeks through hard work. It was rescued by Captain Hodges of the American ship Sedgley. The crew, mostly Germans, offered Captain Hodges 1000 guineas as a reward for his efforts in saving their lives, which he graciously declined.

1797. Earthquake in Quito, which collapsed many valuable buildings and destroyed several nearby towns and farms. A large number of people were lost.

1800. William Tasker died at the age of 60. He served as the rector of a church for 30 years but was stripped of its income due to unjust persecution and legal battles until near the end of his life. The works he published enhanced his reputation among scholars, but did nothing to support him financially, and he continued to fight against poverty and oppression.

1804. Christian Joseph Jagemann, librarian to Duchess Amalia of Weimar, passed away. He was meant for the monastery, but he escaped and became a notable writer on the fine arts and literature of Italy.

1804. The boats from the British ship Centaur captured the French corvette Le Curieux off the coast of Martinique.

1805. The British war sloop Arrow, with 28 guns, and the bomb vessel Acheron, armed with 8 guns, were escorting a fleet of merchant ships when they were captured by two French frigates, but most of the convoy managed to escape.

1806. Gen. Philemon Dickinson, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth, died in Trenton, New Jersey, at the age of 69.

1808. Initial legislative actions concerning the New York canals.

1811. Jonathan Lambert, from Salem, Massachusetts, claimed the uninhabited island of Tristan d'Acunha, located south of St. Helena. The British took control of it in 1817 and built fortifications.

1812. Peniscola, in Valencia, gave in to the French led by Suchet.

1813. The United States frigate Constellation [54]was chased into Norfolk, Virginia, by a British squadron.

1814. Ice formed on the Thames in London, above the bridges, and a fair took place on it for eight days.

1817. Lewis Pennock passed away in West Marlborough, Pennsylvania, at the age of 92; 11 of his survivors, within a mile, lived to be 83½ years old.

1834. John O'Keefe, a British playwright, passed away in Southampton, England, at the age of 68.

1835. Wade Hampton died in Columbia, S.C., at the age of 81. He made a name for himself in the Revolutionary War under Sumpter and Marion, and during the last war, he led a brigade on the northern frontier. He was known as the largest plantation owner in the United States and one of the richest men in the entire southern region. Perhaps no one else in this country ever accumulated such a vast fortune through agriculture.

1836. William Gell passed away in Naples. He was a scholar of classical antiquity, known for illustrating the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and he wrote several works on classical history. He was respected for the depth and range of his knowledge, his kind-heartedness, and his courteous demeanor.

1850. Seventy-five people killed by a steam explosion on Hague Street, New York.

1854. Eight steamboats were destroyed by fire in New Orleans, and 37 people lost their lives in the flames.

1856. Fort Nicholas at Sebastopol was blown up by the allies, using 106,000 pounds of explosives.

This day in Hesiod's calendar is lucky for marriages and fixing ships, but it's also a day of troubles.

46 B. C. Marcus Cato took his own life at the age of 48. He was passionate about philosophy and strictly adhered to the principles of the Stoics. He served as a soldier, with his first campaign against Spartacus. Later, he led 1,000 infantry into Asia, where he was mocked for the small size of his group, but he remained completely unfazed by it. He supported Cicero against Catiline and confronted Cæsar in the Senate during that time. He tried to mediate peace between Cæsar and Pompey, but when that proved impossible, he chose to side with Pompey. After Pompey was killed, he escaped to Utica. When Cæsar came after him, he told his friends to leave and advised his son to rely on Cæsar's mercy. Then, he lay down on his bed, read Plato’s work on the immortality of the soul twice, and got up to stab himself with his own sword.

41 B. C. Augustus, through a vote in the senate, in a full assembly, with their heads crowned with laurel, was greeted with the title of Father of his Country.

1444. An eruption of Vulcano, one of the Lipari islands, changed the entire nature of local navigation. Aristotle notes a terrifying explosion, believed to have created the island as it existed during Pliny's time.

1552. James Meyer, a Flemish historian, passed away at the age of 61.

1556. A five-year truce was agreed upon between Charles V, the emperor of Germany, and Henry II of France.

1617. Prospero Alpini, a well-known Venetian doctor and botanist, passed away at the age of 64.

1626. Three new committees were appointed in the parliament of Charles I: one on religion, one on grievances, and one on secret affairs.

1664. Christian Aagaard died, a notable Danish poet of the 17th century, at the age of 48.

1674. A parhelion or mock sun was seen near Marienburg in western Prussia. It appeared on the horizon below the actual sun, and it was red in color.

1679. Joost Van Vondel, a highly regarded Dutch poet, died at the age of 91.

1684. Philip de Montault, duke of Noailles, passed away. He gave up the Protestant faith and achieved a high position in the military.

1684. Around the beginning of December, a frost started in London, which has lasted until now. Coaches were running, oxen were being roasted, bulls were being baited, etc., on the Thames.

1693. The French burned the Mohawk castles.

1718. Adrian Reland died; an knowledgeable scholar of the East and professor at Utrecht.

1721. James, earl of Stanhope, died. He made a name for himself both on the battlefield and in government, serving under George I.

1729. John Truchet died in Paris. He was known for his expertise in geometry and hydraulics.

1751. The coffin and remains of a farmer were buried in Stevenage, England. He died in 1721, leaving an estate worth £400 a year to his two brothers, which they were to enjoy for 30 years, after which he expected to come back to life, at which point the estate was to be returned to him. To make things convenient for his return, he ordered his coffin to be placed on a beam in the barn, with the key enclosed, so he could free himself. Four days were granted for his resurrection beyond the time specified in the will, and when he didn’t show up, his bones were [55]buried and his estate lost.

1757. Battle of Plassey, in India, where the British under Col. Clive scored a significant victory.

1776. Georgia adopted a new government.

1780. The first tremors of the earthquakes in Sicily and the two Calabrias were felt in Scylla on the same day. That night, a massive wave swept away 2,473 inhabitants, along with the local prince. The destruction and terror dragged on for nearly four months, accompanied by constant rain and bursts of thunder. Out of 375 villages in Calabria, 320 were wiped out. It's estimated that 35,521 people lost their lives in just 33 towns.

1782. The garrison at Minorca, 2,692 men led by Gen. Murray, surrendered to the French and Spanish forces, totaling 16,000, under the Duc de Crillon.

1788. Massachusetts adopted the federal constitution, suggesting some amendments. This was the sixth state in the list (ratified on the 6th, q. v.)

1790. William Cullen, a renowned Scottish doctor and medical writer, died at the age of 77. He established himself in Glasgow and was a professor at the university there for a while before moving to Edinburgh after receiving an invitation. He effectively challenged the misleading theories of Boerhaave, which relied on humoral pathology, and based his own ideas on a broader understanding of Hoffman's principles.

1791. John Beard, a well-known and popular English theater singer, died. He eventually became a co-owner and acting manager of Covent Garden theatre, and continued performing until he lost his hearing, which made him leave the stage.

1792. John Eardly Wilmot, an English writer known for various works, passed away.

1795. Report of the committee of the assembly of the states of Holland, regarding the condition of the bank of Amsterdam, which revealed that the bank had been accepting a significant number of bonds as collateral for large amounts it had advanced, instead of hard cash, for 50 years.

1795. The royal approval was granted for the bill to suspend habeas corpus in Great Britain.

1796. Negombo, in the East Indies, was captured by the British under Admiral Elphinstone.

1797. The position at Corne, at the bridgehead of Hueningen, was surrendered to the Austrians by the French general, Sisce, after General Abbatucci had died just a few days earlier. Two days were given to withdraw the garrison and everything movable related to the place.

1799. Lewis Galvani, an Italian philosopher, died at the age of 62. He was particularly interested in anatomy and physiology. In his explorations, he accidentally discovered a new field of science known as Galvanism. He was known for his humble and reserved nature, and his mindset was often melancholic.

1802. The French and Spanish troops landed in Haiti and took control of forts Dauphin, Bizoton, and St. Joseph. Christophe, the Black general, burned down the town and killed many of the white inhabitants.

1805. The East Indiaman, Earl of Abergavenny, wrecked on the Shambles off the Bill of Portland and sank in twelve fathoms of water. Of the 402 people on board, only 139 were rescued. Her cargo was valued at £200,000, not including 275,000 ounces in dollars.

1807. Pascal de Paoli, a famous Corsican general, died near London. In his efforts to free his homeland from the oppression of the Genoese government and to protect its freedoms against French expansion and invasion, he was overwhelmed by the French forces. He then retreated with a few supporters to England, where he spent the last years of his notable life.

1807. The French forces led by Soult, Davoust, and Ney surrounded and decimated a Russian column of 9,000 men, capturing 1,000 prisoners and seizing 16 cannons.

1809. The British ship Loire, Captain Schomberg, captured the French national ship Hebe, armed with 20 guns, carrying 600 barrels of flour.

1810. The French forces led by Sebastiani and Milhaud defeated the Spaniards and captured Malaga, seizing its vast supplies, 171 cannons, etc. On the same day, two French frigates, each armed with 40 guns and packed with troops, were destroyed off Guadaloupe.

1811. Royal assent was granted by commission to the act that appointed a regent of Great Britain, in the person of the Prince of Wales.

1813. British Admiral Warren announced that the ports and harbors of the Chesapeake Bay were under blockade.

1814. Seventeen British officers were held in close confinement at Chillicothe as a form of retaliation.

1814. The advance of Gen. De York made a successful charge on the rear of Macdonald's army at La Chaussee, between Vitry and Chalons, capturing 3 cannons and 100 French soldiers.

1815. The British ship Grannicus, Capt. Wise, captured the American privateer brig George Little, which had 8 guns and 58 men.

1816. Richard, Viscount Fitzwilliam, passed away, leaving the university of Cambridge his impressive library and £60,000 to build a museum for it [56] and for exhibitions. His collection includes over 10,000 proof prints from renowned artists, an extensive library of rare and valuable works, among which are nearly 300 beautifully illuminated Roman missals. There’s also a fascinating collection of the best ancient music, featuring the original Virginal book of Queen Elizabeth and many pieces by Handel in the great composer’s own handwriting.

1818. Charles XIII of Sweden passed away. He was the second son of Adolphus Frederick and was designated high admiral of Sweden at birth. His education primarily focused on naval tactics, but the upheavals of the era ultimately led him to the throne, where he ruled with great wisdom and earned the trust of the people.

1822. Ali, the governor of Yanina, commonly known as Ali Pacha, was killed. He was a bold and crafty rebel against the Ottoman Empire; an intelligent and active leader of his province; as a warrior, decisive and skilled; as a person, quite ruthless. His early life was difficult, but his remarkable strength of mind, which feared no danger or crime, combined with great skill, brought him to a position of princely independence. His excesses eventually drew the anger of the sultan. Realizing it was useless to fight such a powerful enemy, he sought forgiveness, surrendered his fortress, and was deceitfully murdered along with six of his companions.

1823. Yates County, New York, established.

1823. Juan Antonio Llorente died. He was encouraged by Bonaparte, who gave him the papers of the Inquisition, to write a history of that tribunal. When the Bonaparte family's fortunes waned, he was exiled from his country and lived in France in poverty, making a living by teaching Spanish in boarding schools; however, the university eventually prohibited him from that source of income. The anger of his enemies was heightened by the publication of his Portraits Politiques des Papes, and the old man was ordered to leave Paris in three days and France as quickly as possible, right in the middle of winter. He wasn’t allowed to rest even for a day and died worn out, a victim of the 19th-century persecutions, just a few days after arriving in Madrid.

1824. Henry Callisen, a German doctor and surgeon, passed away. He was the son of a poor clergyman; educated himself; served in the army and in the navy; later worked in hospitals in Copenhagen; and ultimately took a professorship at the university.

1831. The Russian army of 160,000 soldiers enters Poland at multiple locations, led by Commander-in-Chief Count Diebitsch.

1835. Huge volcanic eruptions, accompanied by devastating earthquakes, took place in Central America, sinking several towns and villages, and destroying a significant portion of St. Miguel and St. Salvador.

1837. James Cervetto the younger died at 90 years old. He was the first to popularize the violincello in England. He surpassed his father as a musician, served as the leader of the orchestra at Drury Lane Theatre during Garrick's era, and was a member of the Royal Society of Musicians for 72 years.

1839. Asahel Stearns, a law professor at Cambridge, passed away at 64. He published a knowledgeable and precise book on real actions and was one of the people who revised the statutes of Massachusetts.

1841. The Pennsylvania Bank of the United States, after having paid out nearly six million dollars in cash or specie funds since resuming specie payments on January 15th, again suspended specie payments. The report on its financial situation that followed was so negative that it caused a lot of surprise. This suspension was soon followed by nearly all the banks located south and west of New York and New England.

1851. John Pye Smith passed away at the age of 77; he was a well-known author of religious controversies and served as the principal of a dissenting college in England for almost fifty years.

1853. The Sloo treaty was signed in Mexico to establish a route across the isthmus of Tehuantepec.

1854. James B. Cooper, an American naval officer, passed away at the age of 94. He was a member of Lee's Legion during the Revolutionary War and served in the navy during the War of 1812.

A day of terrible disaster, says Hesiod, when certain Greek ladies, known as "the Furies," make their rounds, "about, about, about."

129 B. C. Three ambassadors from John Hyrcanus, the Jewish high priest, were received in Rome, where the senate decided to renew the alliance of friendship and support with that "good and friendly people," and sent the delegates off with gifts.

1554. John Wyatt and several others were executed for a rebellion and riot due to Queen Mary's marriage to Philip II of Spain.

1593. James Amyott, the chief almoner of France, died; he was a writer on various topics, but he is mainly recognized as the translator of Plutarch's Lives and Morals.

1623. Juan Mariana, a Spanish historian, died. He wrote several works, [57]theological and historical; the most significant of which is his History of Spain.

1649. The Rump parliament declared the House of Peers to be useless and dangerous, and as a result, that part of the legislature and the office of king were eliminated through two short resolutions.

1685. Charles II, king of England, died. When his father died, he was living as a refugee in the Hague, where he quickly claimed the royal title. In 1660, he entered London to widespread cheers from the people. He was known to indulge in pleasures and excess, according to Lardner, and because of him and his court, his reign became known for the most extravagant behavior seen in England. His life ended due to a stroke at the age of 55. This was the time when the great plague and the great fire of London took place. He was the twenty-sixth king of England.

1693. A group of around 700 French and Native Americans attacked the Mohawk villages near Schenectady, capturing about 300 prisoners aligned with the English, while causing minimal other damage. Col. Schuyler, leading a group from Albany, pursued them, resulting in several skirmishes. The French managed to escape by crossing the north branch of the Hudson River on a sheet of ice. They lost 80 men in this operation and faced significant hardships before they made it back home.

1696. A plan to kill William III of England was uncovered.

1736. New England earthquake.

1738. Joseph Mitchell, a Scottish playwright, passed away.

1740. Clement XII (Laurence Corsini), pope of Rome, passed away. He was quite popular and made many improvements to address issues within the church.

1755. Maurice Johnson, a well-known English antiquarian, passed away.

1756. Birthday of Aaron Burr, in Newark, N.J. His father was Rev. William Burr, the second president of New Jersey College at Princeton, and his mother was a daughter of the famous Jonathan Edwards, the third president of that school. His wife is well known.

1777. Great Britain issued letters of marque and reprisal against America.

1778. The French declared the independence of the United States by signing a treaty of defensive alliance with them.

1778. New York joined the confederation.

1783. Launcelot Brown died. He created a new approach to gardening and elevated ornamental gardening to a remarkable level of excellence. Many beautiful recreational areas in England will last for ages as lasting tributes to his exceptional taste and skills.

1783. The first ship to show the thirteen stripes in any British port was recorded at the London customs house. She was loaded with 587 barrels of whale oil, belonged to the island of Nantucket, and was fully crewed by American sailors.

1788. Massachusetts adopted the Constitution of the United States, becoming the 6th state to ratify that document. The vote was 187 to 168.

1792. The city of Morocco, which had closed its gates to Emperor Muley Yazid, was attacked and taken by his troops. The soldiers committed horrific acts against both allies and enemies, and, as usual, the Jews were subjected to plunder. (See 12th and 16th.)

1796. The state of Vermont adopted its constitution.

1798. The Bank of England contributed £200,000 to help the government fend off the potential invasion. With support from manufacturers and others, this amount was boosted to £1,500,000.

1799. British ship Arago, Capt. Bowen, captured off Mahon, at midnight, the Spanish frigate Santa Teresa, 42 guns and 350 men.

1800. The duke of Orleans (Louis Phillip, who later became king) requested forgiveness from Louis XVIII and swore that he was willing to give his last drop of blood in his service. He was warmly welcomed.

1803. Giambattista Casti, a historian from Florence, died at the age of 82. His works are full of humor and creativity, and some have been translated into English.

1804. Joseph Priestly died. He was the son of a strict Calvinist clothier, who raised him according to those rigid beliefs. His dissent eventually led him to embrace unitarianism. By the time he met Franklin in 1766, his writings had already gained him considerable recognition, and Franklin encouraged him to write a book on electricity. This led to several scientific publications, but in 1794, on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a mob in Birmingham, where he was living at the time, attacked his home, burning it along with his library, manuscripts, and equipment. Ultimately, driven by political hostility, he sought refuge in the United States and settled in Northumberland, PA. There, his dedication to his interests caused him to develop an illness that accelerated his death at the age of 71. His works total around 70 volumes, octavo.

1806. Clash between the British fleet led by Admiral Duckworth and the French under Lessiegues, off St. Domingo, which resulted in the complete destruction of the latter, made up of four large warships.

[58]1807. The French led by Murat defeated the Prussians under Hoff in Prussian Poland.

1811. The prince regent of Great Britain took the oath required by the regency act and was officially installed.

1813. The United States government required all enemy aliens to check in with the marshals in the districts where they lived.

1814. Lord Castlereagh and other diplomats met at Chartillon-sur-Seine to negotiate peace.

1815. A full pardon was granted to the Barratarian pirates by the president of the United States, due to their loyalty and bravery in defending New Orleans.

1832. The crew of the United States frigate Potomac launched an attack on Qualla Battoo in Sumatra. The town was destroyed, resulting in 150 Malays killed; the Potomac had 2 killed and 14 wounded.

1833. Pierre-Andre Latreille, a French naturalist, died in Paris. He was especially known for his work in entomology.

1834. The famous and adventurous traveler, Lander, died from a gunshot wound in Africa.

1853. President Cavallos stepped down, and Gen. Lombardini was appointed president of Mexico with dictatorial powers.

1853. The uprising led by Mazzini in Milan, which didn't succeed.

1853. William Peter, British consul in Philadelphia, died. He translated the Prometheus by Æschylus, and was an accomplished scholar and talented poet.

1451. B. C. The Jews commemorate the death of Moses on this day.

1642. William Bedell, bishop of Kilmore, died; he was one of the most outstanding church leaders of the 17th century. He was so highly respected, even by Catholics, that when the Irish rebellion of 1641 started, his was for a time the only English house in the county that remained safe. However, after refusing to comply with the orders of the state council that interfered with his religious responsibilities, he was imprisoned, and his death resulted from the harsh conditions of his confinement. He translated the Old Testament into Irish.

1674. Margaret Lucas, Duchess of Newcastle, passed away; she was the author of plays, poems, letters, essays, and philosophical musings, totaling 12 folio volumes, along with the biography of her husband, William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle. She was quite a unique individual and has been both mocked and praised by some of the best English writers.

1693. Paul Pelisson Fontanier passed away. He wrote a history of the French academy from its founding.

1778. Daniel Boone, the first settler of Kentucky, was captured by the French and Indians near the Blue Licks. This was the second time he had been captured by the Indians. He escaped about ten days later and returned home safely.

1788. The settlement at Botany Bay was abandoned, and on this day, a formal government was established under Gov. Arthur Philip, with the settlement taking place at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, New South Wales.

1791. Saratoga and Rensselaer counties in New York were established.

1792. Athanase Auger, a renowned linguist, passed away. He was born in Paris in 1734 and became a clergyman. His tireless studies of Greek and Roman writers spanned his lifetime; for the last thirty years, he focused on Cicero and Roman history. His translations and other works were published in 30 volumes. His commitment to learning was evident in his character and life.

1796. The British admiral, Sir Francis Geary, passed away at the age of 86.

1799. John Hedwig passed away; he was a German botanist whose studies on the cryptogamia class of plants have made his name well-known.

1807. Schweidnitz in Silesia surrendered to the French general Vandamme.

1810. British General Picton was tried for ordering Louisa Calderon to be tortured. He was killed at the Battle of Waterloo.

1812. Earthquake in Philadelphia; lasted 30 seconds. It was also felt in different areas of the United States to a lesser degree.

1813. Capt. Forsythe and 200 volunteers from Ogdensburgh crossed at Morristown to Elizabethtown, surprising the British guard and capturing 52 prisoners, 140 guns, and some munitions, while also freeing 16 British deserters from jail.

1821. The Caxton printing office on Copperas Hill, Liverpool, owned by Henry Fisher, was completely destroyed by fire. It was the largest periodical warehouse in Great Britain.

1823. Anne Radcliffe passed away. She was born in London in 1764 and got married at 23 to William Radcliffe, the editor of the British Chronicle. Her third novel, Romance of the Forest, brought her a lot of fame, and Mysteries of Udolpho established her as a leading figure in a genre of fiction that was gaining popularity. These works still hold their position among the more contemporary and trendy ones in that category.

[59]1828. Henry Neele, a talented English poet and novelist, took his own life during a bout of madness, believed to have been caused by excessive focus on his studies. He was the son of an engraver and was trained for a career in law. His works were published posthumously.

1834. Cadwallader D. Colden, widely recognized as a philanthropist and scholar, passed away in Jersey City.

1837. Gustavus Adolphus IV, the former king of Sweden, passed away. He ascended to the throne at 14 years old after his father was assassinated in 1792; however, due to his reckless and unwise behavior, he was removed from power in 1809, and his descendants were barred from the throne. He later traveled around various countries in Europe under different names and died in St. Gall, Switzerland. The last years of his life were marked by poverty; he was poorly clothed and fed, and had only an annuity of £300.

1837. The royal palace in Naples caught fire and was partially destroyed. The library and the king's magnificent collection of paintings were burned.

1839. Karl August Nicander, a newly popular Swedish poet, passed away.

293 B. C. Papirius Cursor dedicated a temple to Quirinus and installed a sun-dial, the first one ever seen in Rome.

291 B.C. Esculapius, the health god, as it was said, was worshipped as a snake on an island in the Tiber. As a doctor, he used tools like probes, laxatives, bandages, etc., which earned him respect.

1250. Robert, Count of Artois, was killed. He was the brother of Louis IX of France, declined the German empire that the pope offered him, and joined his brother in the Holy Land, where he showed great bravery. He died in the battle of Massourah.

1574. Geoffrey Vallee, a French writer, author of Béatitude des Chrétiens, which brought upon him the censure of the inquisition, burned at Paris.

1587. Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, was executed in the great hall of Fotheringay Castle at the age of 44. She was the daughter of James V of Scotland. The tragedies that this beautiful and talented woman faced are well known. After being imprisoned for 19 years in England, she was brought to the scaffold after being convicted of conspiring against Queen Elizabeth.

1594. Edmund Bonnefoy, a writer on Eastern law, died in Geneva, Switzerland, at the age of 38. He was appointed as a professor at the University of Valence in France, where he narrowly escaped assassination during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. He had an excellent reputation, in addition to his skills and knowledge.

1637. Ferdinand II of Germany, a resourceful king, passed away.

1664. Moses Amyrault, a notable French theologian, passed away. He was a person of such extraordinary kindness that he gave all of his salary to the poor, regardless of whether they were Catholics or Protestants.

1674. A resolution was adopted by the House of Commons in England that a standing army is a problem; that the king should have no guard other than the militia.

1690. A group of around 300 French and Native Americans launched an attack on Schenectady around midnight. The residents were caught off guard, resulting in the massacre of 60 men, women, and children, and the town was destroyed. They captured 27 people, while the rest of the residents fled to Albany, barely clothed and struggling through deep snow, with 25 individuals suffering from frostbite that led to the loss of limbs.

1716. Earthquake in Peru.

1724. Peter I, the emperor of Russia, passed away.

1727. George Sewell passed away; he was an English playwright, doctor, and various types of writer.

1750. A quake in London.

1750. Aaron Hill, a well-known playwright and miscellaneous writer during Garrick's era, passed away.

1752. Gasper de Real passed away in Paris, known for his important book on government.

1772. The princess dowager of Wales died at the age of 53. It is said that she influenced the early years of her son's rule with her brief encouragement, "George be king."

1779. Moses Allen, the chaplain for the Georgia brigade, drowned while trying to escape from a British prison ship. He was originally from Northampton, Mass., and he was 31 years old.