3114 BC The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins. 353 Magnentius (died), Roman usurper (born 303) 355 Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II. 1467 Mary of York (born) (died 1482) 1494 Hans Memling (died), Flemish painter (born 1430) 1578 Pedro Nunes… Continue reading
1267 James II of Aragon (born) (died 1327) 1519 Ferdinand Magellan’s five ships set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe. The Basque second in command, Juan Sebastián Elcano, will complete the expedition after Magellan’s death in the Philippines. 1535 Ippolito de’ Medici (died), Florence ruler (born 1509) 1560 Hieronymus Praetorius (born), German organist and… Continue reading
214 Aurelian (born), Roman emperor (died 275) 337 Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans I succeed their father Constantine I as co-emperors. The Roman Empire is divided between the three Augusti. 384 Honorius (born), Roman emperor (died 423) 533 A Byzantine army of 15,000 men under Belisarius lands at Caput Vada (modern Tunisia) and marches… Continue reading
1503 King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1555 Oronce Finé, French mathematician and cartographer (born 1494) 1585 John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage. 1588 Alonso Sánchez Coello, Spanish painter (born 1532) 1605 Cecilius Calvert, 2nd… Continue reading
461 Majorian (died), Roman emperor (born 420) 936 Coronation of King Otto I of Germany. 1106 Henry IV (died), Holy Roman Emperor (born 1050) 1574 Robert Dudley (born), English explorer and cartographer (died 1649) 1639 Martin van den Hove (died), Dutch astronomer and mathematician (born 1605) 1679 The brigantine Le Griffon, commissioned by René-Robert Cavelier,… Continue reading