July 19 in history AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city. 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is recognized in Antioch and makes it his capital. 711 – Umayyad…
July 18 in history 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army. 387 BC– Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome. 362 – Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a…
July 17 in history 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. 1048 – Damasus II is elected pope. 1203 – The Fourth Crusade captures Constantinople by assault. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III…
July 11 in History 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter’s Basilica and put to death. 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian,…
July 8 in History 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch. 1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta. 1497 – Vasco…
July 6 in History 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta’s reputation of military invincibility. 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under ‘Amr ibn al-‘As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). 1253 – Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania. 1348 – Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black…
The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date. July 4 in History 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his…
This day is the midpoint of a common year because there are 182 days before and 182 days after it in common years, and 183 before and 182 after in leap years. The exact time of the middle of the…
June 27 in History 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa is founded. 1497 – Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England. 1556 – The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs. 1743 – In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate…
June 26 in History 4 AD – Augustus adopts Tiberius. 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar. 363 – Roman emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sasanian Empire. 684 – Pope Benedict II is chosen. 699 – En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary…