100 BC  Julius Caesar (born), Roman General (died 44 BC) 1493    Hartmann Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the best-documented early printed books, is published. 1536    Desiderius Erasmus (died), Dutch priest and philosopher (born 1466) 1543    King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace. 1561    Saint Basil’s Cathedral… Continue reading →

154      Bardaisan (born), Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (died 222) 1274    Robert the Bruce (born), Scottish king (died 1329) 1346    Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, is elected King of the Romans. 1405    Ming admiral Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time. 1535    Joachim I Nestor (died),… Continue reading →

138      Emperor Hadrian (born 76) dies after a heart failure at Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina. 1212    The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground. 1460   Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, defeats the king’s… Continue reading →

1357    Emperor Charles IV assists in laying the foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague. 1540    King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. 1706    Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville (died), Canadian captain and explorer (born 1661) 1737    Gian Gastone de’ Medici (died), Grand Duke of Tuscany (born 1671)… Continue reading →

975      Edgar the Peaceful (died), English king (born 943) 1099   First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in a religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on. 1497    Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India. 1538    Diego de Almagro (died), Spanish explorer (born 1475) 1579    Our Lady… Continue reading →