On this day in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to exclude Pluto from the list of planets. Therefore, it became a so-called dwarf planet. That was a highly controversial decision, and demonstrations were organized against it i...
One of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the USA took place on this day. Their capital at Washington, including the White House and the Senate Building, was burned to the ground. These events are not widely known these days, perhaps becaus...
On this day in 1750, Letizia Ramolino, mother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was born in the small town of Ajaccio in Corsica. She was a member of the Ramolino family, who were low-ranking nobility. Letizia Ramolino is interesting because she was only 13 ye...
On this day in 1991, Ukraine proclaimed its independence from the USSR. It was part of the process of disintegration of the Soviet Union, which occurred despite some hard-line leaders of the Communist Party trying to prevent it. It is interesting to...
On this day in 1875, Matthew Webb (born at Dawley in Shropshire, England) began his “expedition”, and became known as the first person to swim the English Channel. It took him less than 22 hours (21 hours and 45 minutes) to swim the mentioned channel...
The Battle of Stalingrad has been known as one of the most important battles during World War II. The battle began when the German 6th Army came close to Stalingrad, the large industrial city on the Volga River. The commander of the 6th Army was Frie...
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was named after Stalin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Molotov (also known as First Deputy Premier), and Hitler’s Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop. Vyacheslav Molotov was born in Russia as Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Skryabin. He...
William Wallace was without doubt one of the greatest heroes of Scottish history. He is probably best known as the leading character of the movie Braveheart, where he is played by Mel Gibson. Although the movie is filled with historical inaccuracies,...
The number of victims was even bigger than the number of the Hindenburg airship crash victims. At the time, the R-38-class airship was the world’s largest airship. It was over 211 meters long, and had a volume of 77,135 cubic meters. It had six 350-h...
On this day in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte sailed from Egypt to France. He wanted to take power in France. At the time, he served as the army’s general and commander, but wanted to become ruler of France (the state was ruled by the Directory consisted o...
Thomas Percy was a member of the English aristocracy. He held the title of "Earl of Northumberland" (the English title of earl is similar to the title of count in the rest of Europe). He was also addressed as "Lord Northumberland" (the English barons...
On this day in 1942, Brazil declared war on Hitler’s Third Reich. Brazil was the only independent South American country that sent its military forces to Europe in order to fight against the Axis powers. These units were called "Brazilian Expeditiona...
During this war, the British deposed and executed their king. They also established their republic known as the Commonwealth (this word was used in England as the translation of the Latin word "res publica"). The war lasted till 1651, i.e. more than...
Pope Gregory IX was born as Ugolino on this day in 1241. He established the Papal Inquisition, the organization which fought against the teachings which were harmful to the Catholicism. Allegedly, Gregory IX was appointed pope when he was 80 years ol...
The first recorded Jewish immigrant to America, Dutch Jew Jacob Barsimson, arrived in New Amsterdam on this day in 1654. The port city of New Amsterdam was at the time under Dutch colonial rule and was the administrative center of the New Netherlands...
This day in 1944 marked the beginning of the conference in Dumbarton Oaks, famous for the establishment of the United Nations. This conference took place during World War II, when the Allied troops had already liberated Paris from the Germans. Repres...
This day in 1879 marked the apparitions of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, angels, and saints in Knock, Ireland. For example, the Lourdes apparitions occurred in 1858, and the Fatima apparitions in 1917. Therefore, the Knock apparitions occurr...
On this day in 1778, the British began the siege of the French colonial city of Pondicherry in India. It is interesting to note that this battle was fought in India due to the American Revolutionary War. In 1778, France entered the war and became an...
Archduke Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Francis Joseph I and his wife Empress Sissi, was born on this day in 1858. He was supposed to inherit the throne from his father, who tragically died at the age of 30 at Mayerling (the so-called Mayerling Inci...
On this day in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the R-7 Semyorka – the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Its name Semyorka (Russian: Семёрка) means “the 7”. Intercontinental ballistic missiles can attack cities on other continen...
This day marked the end of the famous Battle of Yarmouk (the Middle East), where the Muslims defeated the Byzantine army. It was probably one of the most important battles in history. After the battle, a large part of the former Christian territories...
Politician Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, was born on this day in 1833. It is interesting to note that his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, had also served as American president, and this has been the only case (regar...
Famous communist Leon Trotsky was assassinated on this day. The assassination took place in Mexico, where Trotsky had been living since he was exiled from the USSR after losing a power struggle to Stalin. The assassin was Spanish communist Ramon Merc...
This day in 1977 marked the launch of the space probe Voyager 2, one of the most distant human-made objects (distance of 106.65 AU from the Sun). Voyager 2 travels through space, and its nuclear power sources supply the necessary electrical energy. T...
The maiden voyage of the famous ship NS Savannah took place on this day in 1962. It was a historically important event because the NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered passenger and cargo ship in history. It cost an incredible 46,900,000 U.S. do...
Unusual racist riots erupted in a part of Brooklyn, New York on this day. Many American Jews saw those events as the largest pogrom of Jews in the history of the USA. The riots began after a 7-year-old child of an immigrant from Guyana was hit in a t...
On this day in 1991, hardliners in the USSR initiated a coup with the goal of preserving the old Soviet order. The group was led by eight high-ranking members of the Communist Party and the Red Army, the so-called Gang of Eight. They included: •Vice...
On this day in 1989, a raid was conducted on the pirate Radio Caroline station in the North Sea. That station had been active since 1964, and had transmitted a signal from a ship anchored near the British coast. In this way they sought to circumvent...
Bernard Baruch, American financier and political advisor of Jewish descent, was born on this day in 1870. He was one of the most famous Wall Street brokers and became rich before the age of 30. In 1916, he left Wall Street in order to become an advis...
On this day Adolf Hitler held a referendum in Nazi Germany, where it was to be decided whether he could hold the dual office of head of state and head of government. He had already become head of government (Chancellor) during the previous year (1933...
