On This Day In History
July 15th
1099 City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade
1381 John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England
1410 Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeat Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen
1799 The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon‘s Egyptian Campaign
1955 18 Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by 34 more laureates
Did You Know?
Alcoholic Anonymous founded in Britain
Today in History in 1948
Would You Believe?
Margarine is patented by Hippolye Méga-Mouriès for use by French Navy
Today in History in 1869
July 16th
622 Muslim Era begins – Muhammad begins flight from Mecca to Medina (Hijra)
1519 Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope
1809 La Paz, Bolivia declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the 1st independent government in Spanish America
1940 Adolf Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion)
Did You Know?
1st banknotes in Europe are issued by Bank of Stockholm
Today in History in 1661
Would You Believe?
Kissing is banned in England (to stop the Black Death from spreading)
Today in History in 1439
July 17th
180 6 inhabitants of Carthage, North Africa executed for being Christians. Earliest record of Christianity in this part of the world.
1203 Siege of Constantinople begins during the fourth Crusade; Roman Catholic Crusaders aboard a Venetian fleet attack the city
1762 Catherine II becomes Tsarina of Russia following the murder of Peter III
1918 The Romanov royal family and several of their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipatiev House, in Yekaterinburg, Siberia
1936 Spanish generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War
1945 Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold 1st post-World War II meeting
2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down over Eastern Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board
Did You Know?
“L’Argus” accidentally discovers raft holding survivors from wrecked French frigate “Méduse.” After 13 days at sea only 15 of 151 remain, the rest having been cannibalised, murdered, or committed suicide. This event was made famous by Théodore Gericault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa”
Today in History in 1816
Would You Believe?
“Variety” publishes famous headline “Sticks Nix Hick Pix”
Today in History in 1935
July 18th
64 Great Fire of Rome begins under the Emperor Nero
1925 Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf (original title was the catchy “Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice”)
1936 Spanish Civil War: General Francisco Franco issues manifesto and leads an uprising in the Spanish army stationed in Morocco
2012 Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People’s Army
2013 Detroit, Michigan, files for bankruptcy, becoming the largest US municipal bankruptcy ever at $18.5 billion
July 19th
1595 Astronomer Johannes Kepler has an epiphany and develops his theory of the geometrical basis of the universe while teaching in Graz
1843 The steamship SS Great Britain is launched, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull or screw propeller and the largest vessel afloat in the world
1848 1st US women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls NY, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
1941 British PM Winston Churchill launches his “V for Victory” campaign
Did You Know?
Michael Brunet discovers the skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis in the Djurab Desert, Chad. One of the oldest known species in the human family tree, 6-7 million years ago years old
Today in History in 2001
Would You Believe?
US scientists calculate total amount plastic ever produced – 8.3 billion tonnes, equal to weight of 1 billion elephants
Today in History in 2017
July 20th
1881 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull, surrenders to US federal troops
1921 Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson becomes the first woman to preside over the floor of US House of Representatives
1969 Apollo 11 lunar module carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lands on the surface of the Moon; Aldrin and Armstrong walk on the moon seven hours later; Michael Collins remains in orbit in the lunar module
1976 US Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, 1st Martian landing
2017 China announces a plan against “foreign garbage” banning 24 categories of plastic and recyclable waste from 2018
Did You Know?
Euston railway station opens in London as the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR), the city’s 1st intercity railway station
Today in History in 1837
Would You Believe?
USSR recovers 2 dogs; 1st living organisms to return from space
Today in History in 1960
July 21st
356 BC Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
365 Crete Earthquake followed by tsunami around the Eastern Mediterranean allegedly destroys Alexandria
1861 First Battle of Bull Run [Battle of First Manassas], 1st major battle of the US Civil War is fought near Manassas, Virginia, Confederate victory
1904 After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway is completed
1925 John T. Scopes found guilty of teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, fined $100 and costs
1954 Geneva Accords for Indochina signed, dividing French colonial territories into the countries of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Cambodia, and Laos
1969 Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the Moon at 2:56:15 AM (GMT)
1970 Aswan High Dam opens in Egypt, enables human control of the flooding of the Nile
2015 On This Day changes its domain name and brand from HistoryOrb.com to OnThisDay.com