1126 William IX (died), Duke of Aquitaine (born 1071) 1258 Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed. 1278 Margaret II (died), Countess of Flanders (born 1202) 1306 In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn sparking revolution in the Scottish Wars of… Continue reading
An employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency crashed a DJI Phantom 1 into the lawn of the White House about 3:00 a.m. Monday, January 26th. Alcohol may have been involved. The mangled wreck was all that remained of the $479 drone, save for the panic it created among Secret Service personnel charged with guarding the… Continue reading
474 Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1555 Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake. 1621 Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation. 1711 Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla (born), Spanish sailor and commander (died 1762) 1737 Thomas Paine (born), English-American philosopher, author,… Continue reading
1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah. 1250 – William II Longespée (died), English martyr (born 1212) 1265 – Hulagu Khan (died), Mongol ruler (born 1217) 1575 – Universiteit Leiden is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis…. Continue reading
457 Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento is killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio. 1478 Thomas More (born), English politician and author (died 1535) 1497 The bonfire of the vanities occurs in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of objects like cosmetics, art,… Continue reading