22 July
The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 or “court-packing plan” was a legislative initiative proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt’s purpose was to obtain favourable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that the court had ruled unconstitutional. Continue reading “1937 – FDR’s court-packing plan”
30 June
Adolf Hitler’s violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, begins on this day in 1934. Continue reading “1934 – The Night of the Long Knives”
30 June
King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel, comte de Montgomery. Continue reading “1559 – Henry II of France is mortally wounded”
13 June
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), was a landmark ruling of the United States Supreme Court that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.
6 June
The assassination of Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy, a United States Senator and brother of assassinated President John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, during the campaign season for the 1968 presidential election, he died on this day in 1968 (the next day).
23 May
An Italian Dominican friar, preacher and de facto ruler of Florence, Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence on this day in 1498.
16 May
A 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste who later becomes king of France. Continue reading “1770 – Marie Antoinette marries”
15 May
This was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the independence of the Dutch Republic. Continue reading “1648 – The Treaty of Westphalia is signed”
21 April
The Battle of Mutina was fought on this day in 43 BC between the forces of Mark Antony and the forces of Octavian. Continue reading “43 BC – Battle of Mutina”
18 April
Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on this day in 1988, by U.S. forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship. Continue reading “1988 – Operation Praying Mantis”
4 April
William Henry Harrison (9 February 1773 – 4 April 1841) was the ninth President of the United States (1841), an American military officer and politician, and the last President born as a British subject. He was also the first president to die in office. Continue reading “1841 – William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia”
11 March
The Battle of Castagnaro was fought on this day in 1387 at Castagnaro (today’s Veneto, northern Italy) between Verona and Padua. It is one of the most famous battles of the Italian condottieri* age. Continue reading “1387 – Battle of Castagnaro”
8 March
Cloture, closure, or, informally, a guillotine is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. Continue reading “1917 – The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule”
3 March
Time (styled within the magazine as TIME) is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It was founded in 1923 and for decades was dominated by Henry Luce, who built a highly profitable stable of magazines. Continue reading “1923 – TIME magazine is published for the first time”
