1571     Johannes Kepler (born), German astronomer (died 1630) 1654    Jacob Bernoulli (born), Swiss mathematician (died 1705) 1822    Louis Pasteur (born), French chemist and microbiologist (died 1895) 1831     Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle. 1836    Stephen F. Austin (died), American army officer and politician (born 1793) 1845    Ether anesthetic is used for… Continue reading →

1771     Claude Adrien Helvétius (died), French philosopher (born 1715) 1780     John Fothergill (died), English physician (born 1712) 1799     Four thousand people attend George Washington’s funeral where Henry Lee III declares him as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” 1846     Trapped in snow in the Sierra Nevadas and… Continue reading →

1696    James Oglethorpe (born), English general, founded the Province of Georgia (died 1785) 1805    John Obadiah Westwood (born), English entomologist and archaeologist (died 1893) 1807    The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. 1808    Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in… Continue reading →

1118     Thomas Becket (born), English archbishop (died 1170) 1620    William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 1682    Calico Jack (born), English pirate (died 1720) 1804    Benjamin Disraeli (born), English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1881) 1824    James Parkinson (died), English physician… Continue reading →

1803     The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana. 1812     Sacagawea (died), American member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (born 1788) 1862     Robert Knox (died), Scottish surgeon and zoologist (born 1791) 1868     Harvey Samuel Firestone (born), American businessman, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (died 1938) 1901     Robert J…. Continue reading →