1386     The Universität Heidelberg held its first lecture, making it the oldest German university. 1512     Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (Doctor in Biblia). 1745     Jonathan Swift, Irish author (born 1667) 1781     At Yorktown, Virginia, representatives of British commander Lord Cornwallis handed over Cornwallis’ sword and formally surrendered to George Washington and the Comte… Continue reading →

1540 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto’s forces destroy the fortified town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, killing Tuskaloosa. 1648 – Boston Shoemakers form first U.S. labor organization. 1836 – Frederick August Otto Schwarz (born), American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (died 1911) 1851 – Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard… Continue reading →

1771     Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart at age 15. 1888     Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie). 1907     Guglielmo Marconi’s company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland. 1910     Julia Ward Howe (died),… Continue reading →

1553    Lucas Cranach the Elder (died), German painter (born 1472) 1758    Noah Webster (born), American lexicographer and author (died 1843) 1781     George Washington captures Yorktown, Virginia after the Siege of Yorktown. 1793    Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI, is guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. 1834    Much of the ancient structure of the… Continue reading →

70 BC   Virgil (born), Roman poet (died 19 BC) 1564     Andreas Vesalius (died), Flemish anatomist (born 1514) 1582     Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15. 1764     Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple… Continue reading →