History Trivia

January 7: The Egyptians celebrated this day as the birthday of Sekhmet, the goddess of the healing arts. 49 BC, Julius Caesar was ordered to disband his army. He refused and crossed the Rubicon three days later. 1325 Alfonso IV became King of Portugal. 1451 the University of Glasgow Founded at the request of King James II of Scotland. Pope Nicholas V issued a bull of foundation for a "studium generale." At first underfunded and lacking a place to hold lectures, the University nonetheless grew into a distinguished center of learning, its progress only briefly interrupted by the troubles of the Reformation. 1558 France took Calais, the last continental possession of England. 1598 Boris Godunov became Tsar of Russia. 1610 Galileo Galilei observed three of the four largest moons of Jupiter for the first time. He named them, and in turn the four are called the Galilean moons.

History Trivia

January 6 - The Egyptians celebrated this day as the Feast of Kore, the Goddess of Fertility and of cereal grains and agriculture. 1066 Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England. 1205 Philip of Swabia became King of the Romans. 1449 Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI was crowned at Mistra. 1494 the first Mass in the New World was celebrated at La Isabela, Hispaniola. 1540 King Henry VIII of England married Anne of Cleves. 1579 The Union of Atrecht was signed. 1649 English Civil War: The Rump Parliament voted to put Charles I on trial. 1661 English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully tried to seize control of London. 1690 Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I, became King of the Romans.

History Trivia

January 5, 1066, Edward the Confessor, King of England, died, sparking warfare between various claimants to his throne. 1355 Charles I of Bohemia was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan. 1477 Charles the Bold was killed at the Battle of Nancy at which time Burgundy became part of France. 1500 Duke Ludovico Sforza conquered Milan. 1527 Felix Manz, a leader of the Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, was executed by drowning. 1554 A great fire occurred in Eindhoven, Netherlands. 1675 Battle of Colmar, the French army beat Brandenburg.

History Trivia

January 4, 46 BC Julius Caesar defeated Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. In 48 BC, Julius Caesar arrived in Greece in pursuit of his rival, Pompey, whom he later defeated at Pharsalus. 871 at the Battle of Reading Ethelred of Wessex fought and was badly defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1490 Anna of Brittany announced that all those who would ally with the king of France would be considered guilty of the crime of lèse majesté. 1493 Christopher Columbus left the New World, ending his first journey. 1642 King Charles I of England sent soldiers to arrest members of Parliament. 1698 most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, was destroyed by fire.

History Trivia

January 3, 106 BC Marcus Tullius Cicero was born. This day was set aside to honor the Roman Goddess of Peace, Pax, whose temple stood open in Rome during times of peace, but was closed during war. 1431 Joan of Arc was handed over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon. 1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tested a flying machine. 1521 Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

History Trivia

January 2,69 AD Vitellius was named emperor. On this day the Egyptians, and many Romans, celebrated the Advent of Isis, the Egyptian Mother Goddess. 366 The Alamanni crossed the frozen Rhine River and invaded the Roman Empire. 533 Mercurius became Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy. 1492 Reconquista, the emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrendered.

History Trivia

January 1, 45 BC Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. Julius Caesar's calendar reform - 365 days in 12 months with leap years every four years - was introduced. 43 BC Cicero delivered his "Fifth Philippic" (fifth of a series of speeches condemning Mark Antony) in the Roman Senate. 27 BC Octavian became the first emperor of Rome, and took the name Caesar Augustus. 69 AD Roman legions in Germany refused to renew the oath of allegiance to Emperor Galba. They rebelled and proclaimed Aulus Vitellius Germanicus as emperor. 138 AD, Caesar Aelius died. 193 AD Pertinax became emperor. 193 The Senate chose Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman Emperor. 1001 Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary was named the first King of Hungary by Pope Silvester II. 1259 Michael VIII Palaiologos was proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. 1438 Albert II of Habsburg was crowned King of Hungary. 1515 King Francis I of France succeeded to the French throne. 1527 Croatian nobles elected Ferdinand I of Austria as king of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin. 1600 Scotland began its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25. 1651 Charles II was crowned King of Scotland.