Nobel laureate Albert Einstein died on this day at the age of 76 years at the Princeton Hospital in the U.S. (technically the same hospital where Dr.House of the eponymous television series works). The cause of Einstein's death was the rupture of an...
The famous French aviator Roland Garros, after whom the big tennis tournament was named, was shot down on this day during World War I. He managed to land, but ended up on German territory and was captured. The Germans thus came into possession of his...
The International Sand Sculpture Festival (FIESA) is the world's largest sand sculpture event. It was first held in 2003 in Pera in southern Portugal and this tradition has continued every year since. The festival covers an area of 3.7 acres (15,000...
On this day in 1949 began the construction of the U.S. warship that was to become the largest aircraft carrier in history of the world so far (a so-called “supercarrier”). The ship was named “USS Unites States” and its construction began in the great...
This day in 1943 marked the death of the man who was probably the most famous Japanese admiral of World War II – the renowned Isoroku Yamamoto. He had the highest possible rank in the Japanese Imperial Navy – the “fleet admiral” i.e. “marshal-admiral...
One of the most spectacular weddings in history took place on this day. Namely, the movie star Grace Kelly married Rainier Grimaldi, the reigning prince of the Principality of Monaco. The two met the previous year when Grace took part in a photo sess...
The headstone of the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican was set up on this day in 1506. Earlier, there had been the 4th century basilica. The Vatican had started the construction of a new basilica during the Renaissance. The construction had lasted mor...
According to the provisions of this treaty, the Habsburg Monarchy lost what is now Belgium and Lombardy, the wealthiest and most developed lands ruled from Vienna. This day in 1797 marks the anniversary of the Treaty of Leoben, named after the city o...
His family, the de Rohans, produced a series of famous historical personalities, including four cardinals, two archbishops and a large number of dukes and princes. This day in 1725 marked the birth of Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, Grand Master of the Kni...
Prince Karl Philipp Schwarzenberg, an important military leader during the period of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, was born in Vienna on this day in 1771. He was a member of the Schwarzenberg family, one of the richest families in the Habsburg Empi...
The Austrian troops were helping Napoleon during the attack on Russia (the so-called Great Army i.e. Grande Armée). Apparently, Bonaparte wanted Prince Schwarzenberg to lead the Austrian contingent during the attack on the Russian Empire. Pr...
On this day in 1907 the U.S. immigration center on Ellis Island received the most immigrants in its history. Specifically, in that one day 11,747 immigrants arrived in the United States. It was a time when people from Europe went to the U.S. in large...
Emperor Michael IX Palaiologos fought against Osman, the first Ottoman sultan. Byzantine emperor Michael IX Palaiologos was born on this day in 1278. He was a contemporary of Ottoman sultan Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman dyna...
On this day the French General Henri Giraud escaped from a high-security prison in the Nazi Königstein Fortress (pictured above). This fortress near Dresden is also called the "Saxon Bastille" and it is one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europ...
Apollo 13 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from the nearest islands. On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 managed to return to Earth despite severe problems during the flight. The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, hundred...
The first generation of the Ford Mustang was presented on this day in 1964. This model has been enormously popular and has become the most successful of Ford`s cars. The Mustang has been continuously produced since 1964. Lee Iacocca, one of the Ameri...
Siena lost its independence and ended up under the rule of Florence i.e. Tuscany because King Philip II of Spain gave it to the Medicis due to his large monetary debt. On this day in 1555 Tuscan and Spanish forces took control of Siena, ending the ce...
The series of drawn-out and bloody conflicts between France and England (each with various allies, such as Burgundy for England and Scotland for France) known as the Hundred Years' War finally drew to a close with the Battle of Castillon on 17 July 1...
On this day the disastrous American invasion at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba began. Namely, the Bay of Pigs (Spanish: Bahía de Cochinos) is a marine bay on the southern coast of Cuba. The American plan was to deploy Cuban emigrants that the CIA trained fo...
The American scientist, inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin died on this day in 1790. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin are certainly the most deserving people for the establishment of the United States of America. Fran...
On this day the first European naval expedition discovered the place where the future New York would arise - New York Bay. The leader of the expedition was the famous Italian explorer Giovanni de Verrazzano from Tuscany, who was in the service of the...
The Austrian businessman Ferdinand Piëch, one of the most powerful European businessmen of the 20th century, was born on this day in 1937. Ferdinand Piëch was the longtime head of the Volkswagen Group, and achieved certain business results. It is int...
Marie Tussaud, the famous wax sculptor, died on this day in 1850. There are many wax museums named after her in world cities, and they are a kind of tourist attraction. It is interesting to note that Marie Tussaud belonged to the generation of people...
Henri of Bourbon-Parma, the reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg, was born on this day in 1955. Luxembourg is the only country in the world, which is established as a Grand Duchy, so Henri is the only reigning Grand Duke in the world (earlier, Tuscany w...
“Britannia” is 126 meters long. Interestingly, she was built in Scotland, not England. In the event that there was a nuclear war with the USSR, the yacht was supposed to serve as a refuge for the Queen. On this day the new British royal yacht named “...
Stefan Dušan’s imperial title followed the Byzantine tradition, which was in turn based on the tradition of the Roman Empire. Stefan Dušan from the Nemanjić dynasty was crowned the Emperor of Serbia on this day in 1346. Prior to that, he had b...
On this day a German who was the exact political opposite of Adolf Hitler was born. His name was Ernst Thälmann and he was the leader of the German Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands – KPD). Thälmann was notable for the fact that he...
The Soviet forces that attacked Germany from the east consisted of 26 armies and 2.5 million soldiers. The final Soviet attack on Berlin began on this day in 1945. The Soviets prepared a huge number of troops for the offensive, including some...
On this day the American troops occupied what was probably the most “elite” Nazi prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. The camp was called Oflag IV-C, where the Oflag is the abbreviation for Offizierslager (officer camp). The camp was located in Colditz C...
On this day members of the Bulgarian Communist Party demolished the dome of the St. Nedelya Church in Sofia, during a funeral service for the late General Konstantin Georgiev, who was murdered two days earlier. The Mass was attended by many senior p...
