1214    The University of Oxford receives its charter. 1469   Gian Galeazzo Sforza (born), Italian husband of Isabella of Naples (died 1494) 1733   Betty Washington Lewis (born), American sister of George Washington (died 1797) 1756    A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta. 1761    Jacob Hübner (born), German entomologist and author (died 1826)… Continue reading →

1269   King Louis IX of France orders all Jews found in public without an identifying yellow badge to be fined ten livres of silver. 1566   James VI and I of England (born) (died 1625) 1586   English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England’s first permanent settlement in North America. 1623   Blaise Pascal (born),… Continue reading →

1178    Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision. 1429   French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under… Continue reading →

1239   Edward I of England (born) (died 1307) 1462   Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia. 1579    Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England. 1596   The Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovers the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen. 1603  … Continue reading →

1487   Battle of Stoke Field, the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses. 1586   Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor. 1613    John Cleveland (born), English poet (died 1658) 1749   Johann Baptista Ruffini (died), Italian salt trader (born 1672) 1779    Spain declares war on the Kingdom of… Continue reading →