#TodayInHistory – August 30
August 30 – Some important events on this day. 257 👉🏼 St Sixtus II begins his reign as Catholic Pope 1146 👉🏼 European leaders outlaw crossbow, intending to end war […]
#TodayInHistory – August 29
August 29 – Some important events on this day. 1350 👉🏼 Battle of Winchelsea (or Les Espagnols sur Mer): The English naval fleet under King Edward III defeats a Castilian […]
Chocolate rain falls in Switzerland
Residents of an industrial area of Olten, a town in north-western Switzerland, just few days ago, have been reporting chocolate powder raining from the sky. Well, if chocolate was ever […]
#TodayInHistory – August 28
August 28 – Some important events on this day. 476 👉🏼 Orestes, father of Emperor Romulus Augustulus is captured and executed by Odoacer and his followers. When Romulus Augustulus came […]
Krakatoa: the story of the world’s mightiest explosion
The biggest explosion the world has ever known (try to imagine: an estimated 13,000 times greater than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima during WWII) happened on this day, August 27 […]
#TodayInHistory – August 27
August 27 – Some important events on this day. 479 BC 👉🏼 Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Plataea, Persian forces led by Mardonius routed by Greek army under Pausanias; together with […]
#TodayInHistory – August 26
August 26 – Some important events on this day. 1071 👉🏼 Battle of Manzikert: Seljuq Turks led by sultan Alp Arslan beat and capture Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes 1346 […]
#TodayInHistory – August 25
August 25 – Some important events on this day. 325 👉🏼 Council of Nicaea ends with adoption of the Nicene Creed establishing the doctrine of the Holy Trinity 1609 👉🏼 […]
#TodayInHistory – August 24
August 24 – Some important events on this day. 49 BC 👉🏼 Julius Caesar’s general Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River by the […]
#TodayInHistory – August 23
August 23 – Some important events on this day. 79 👉🏼 Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on feast day of Vulcan, Roman god of fire (goes on to destroy Pompeii) 476 […]
#TodayInHistory – August 22
August 22 – Some important events on this day. 565 👉🏼 St Columba reports seeing monster in Loch Ness 1454 👉🏼 Jews are expelled from Brunn Moravia by order of […]
#TodayInHistory – August 21
August 21 – Some important events on this day. 1192 👉🏼 Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan. (Traditional Japanese date: July 12, 1192) […]
#TodayInHistory – August 20
August 20 – Some important events on this day. 2 👉🏼 Venus and Jupiter in conjunction – possible astrological explanation for Star of Bethlehem 1000 👉🏼 The foundation of the […]
#TodayInHistory – August 19
August 19 – Some important events on this day. 43 BC 👉🏼 Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul 1274 👉🏼 Edward I is […]
#TodayInHistory – August 18
August 18 – Some important events on this day. 293 BC 👉🏼 The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded, starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica (grape harvest festival) […]
#TodayInHistory – August 17
August 17 – Some important events on this day. 1585 👉🏼 Antwerp surrenders after 8 months siege by Duke of Parma 1590 👉🏼 Governor of Roanoke Island colony, John White, […]
#TodayInHistory – August 16
August 16 – Some important events on this day. 1384 👉🏼 Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong, hears case of couple who tore money bills while fighting over them […]
Ferragosto: history, traditions (and curses) of one of the most beloved holidays in Italy
Celebrated on August 15, the so called Ferragosto may well be considered the height of the Italian summer: many Italians still take their summer vacation around this time, with the […]
#TodayInHistory – August 15
August 15 – Some important events on this day. 778 👉🏼 Battle of Roncevaux Pass: Roland, commander of the rearguard of Charlemagne’s army is defeated by the Basques 1248 👉🏼 […]
#August 14, 1936: America’s Last Public Hanging
On this day, August 14, 1936 a crowd estimated at 10,000 to 20,000 gathered at Owensboro, Kentucky, to watch the last ever public hanging in the United States. The fact […]
#TodayInHistory – August 14
August 14 – Some important events on this day. 554 👉🏼 Ravenna becomes seat of Byzantine military governor in Italy 1040 👉🏼 King Duncan I of Scotland killed in battle […]
#TodayInHistory – August 13
August 13 – Some important events on this day. 3114 BC 👉🏼 According to the Lounsbury correlation, the start of the Mayan calendar 1326 👉🏼 Aradia de Toscano, according to […]
The unsolved mystery of Madagascar, the gold ship vanished in 1853
The frigate Madagascar left Melbourne for London on this day, August 12, 1853 with more than 150 passengers and its crew…but also nearly three tons of gold on board. It […]
#TodayInHistory – August 12
August 12 – Some important events on this day. 3 👉🏼 Venus-Jupiter in conjunction-Star of Bethlehem 1121 👉🏼 Battle of Didgori: the Georgian army under King David the Builder wins […]
#TodayInHistory – August 11
August 11 – Some important events on this day. 3114 BC 👉🏼 The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins. 2492 BC 👉🏼 […]
August 10th: the tears of Saint Lawrence and the night of the shooting stars
In August, as Earth’s orbit crosses the dust ejected by the comet Swift-Tuttle (the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth) provides a fabulous spectacle for viewers on Earth. […]
#TodayInHistory – August 10
August 10 – Some important events on this day. 612 BC 👉🏼 Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire. Destruction of Nineveh. 70 👉🏼 Second Temple in Jerusalem set on […]
#TodayInHistory – August 9
August 9 – Some important events on this day. 48 BC 👉🏼 Caesar’s civil war: Battle of Pharsalus – Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to […]
#TodayInHistory – August 8
August 8 – Some important events on this day. 1220 👉🏼 Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula 1303 👉🏼 Crete earthquake strikes with estimated magnitude […]