July 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

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…

June 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

June 3 in History 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the…

January 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

January 7 in History 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England. 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia. 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able…

January 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

January 5 in History 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; the Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg. 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the…