On This Day In History Archive

AncientPages.com - On August 11, 3114 BC, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar began. It was in use by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, especially the Maya. According to Maya theology,

AncientPages.com - On 9 August 48 BC, the Battle of Pharsalus was fought between Julius Caesar and Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great"), who fled to Egypt. In this

AncientPages.com - On August 7, 1947, Thor Heyerdahl's raft, the Kon –Tiki, reached Polynesia. Heyerdahl and his five adventurers sailed from Peru to the Tuamotus, French Polynesia, in a

AncientPages.cm - On August 5, 1888, Anna Haining Bates - one of the tallest women in history - died. Anna Haining Bates was born on August 6, 1846, on

AncientPages.com - On August 3, 1704, British forces captured Gibraltar from the Spanish and managed to keep it today and for a long time of more than 300

AncientPages.com - On August 1, 1944, the Warsaw Uprising began and was part of a national plan, the so-called Operation Tempest (referred to in English as Operation Storm, with several other

AncientPages.com - On July 30, 1502, Christopher Columbus reached the Bay Islands of Honduras with his ships. He landed at mainland Honduras (Trujillo) and named the area "Honduras" (meaning

AncientPages.com - On July 28, 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine in Paris, France. Robespierre had dominated the Committee of

AncientPages.com - On July 26, 1887, the Unua Libro (English: First Book) was published, founding the Esperanto movement. The first publication described Esperanto later called the International Language

AncientPages.com - On July 24, 1567, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. She was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle, Kinross-shire, and her infant son James was crowned and

AncientPages.com - On July 23, 1773, Sir Thomas Macdougall Brisbane was born near Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a British soldier and astronomical observer for whom the city

AncientPages.com - On July 21, 1588, an English Naval Force under the command of Lord Charles Howard defeated the “Invincible Armada” of Spain. The Spanish Armada and English

AncientPages.com - On July 19, 1545, the warship Mary Rose, a favorite ship of King Henry VIII, sank during an engagement with the French fleet in Portsmouth Harbor. The Mary

AncientPages.com - On July 17, 1453, the Battle of Castillon was fought between the forces of France and England. Hundred Years ' War lasted for 116 years and

AncientPages.com - On July 15, 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta (today called "Rashid") by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian

AncientPages.com - On July 13, 1527, John Dee, English mathematician, occultist, astrologer, and astronomer, was born in London. Dee, one of the most learned men of his time,

AncientPages.com - On July 11, 1274, Robert I, King of Scots, known as Robert the Bruce was born. He became one of Scotland's greatest kings. He ruled from March

AncientPages.com - On July 9, 1941, the German army's secret code - Enigma -  to direct ground-to-air operations on the Eastern front was finally broken. Polish mathematicians from

AncientPages.com - On July 7, 1550, chocolate was introduced in Europe, and the Mexican drink became a passion that endures after nearly half a millennium. In 1550 Dominican

AncientPages.com - On July 5, 1687, one of the most famous books in the history of science was published by Isaac Newton. Newton's own copy of his Principia Mathematica. Image

AncientPages.com - On July 3, 1841, astronomer John Couch Adams was one of two who independently discovered the planet Neptune. Many people consider him the true discoverer of the