Nuva Hiva of the Marquesas Islands, Polynesia In the year 1595, the first printed catalog of an institutional library appears in Leiden University Library (May 24), a Spanish expedition makes the first European landing in Polynesia, on the Marquesas Islands (Jul 21), the Spanish raid Cornwall, England (Jul 23), William Shakespeare’s Richard II is performed in London, probably for the first time (Dec 9), Sir Walter Raleigh travels up the Orinoco River in South America, in search of the fabled city of El Dorado - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Duncannon Fort in Ireland, built in 1588 in expectation of an attack by the Spanish Armada. Picture courtesy by Paul O’Farrell In the year 1588, the Spanish Armada consisting of 130 ships begins to set sail towards the English Channel in order to invade England (May 28), much of the fleet is destroyed by storms (Aug 12), and the armada is finally defeated upon the coast of Ireland (Sep), the first biography of Nicolaus Copernicus is completed (Oct 7), three golden crowns, the national symbol of Sweden, are added to the 13th century Stockholm Castle, after which it is known by the name Tre Kronor - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Due to the numerous tortoises presiding there, the Galápagos Islands were initially called Insulae de los Galopegos - Islands of the Tortoises In the year 1535, Ciudad de los Reyes, i.e.future Lima & the future capital of Peru, is founded (Jan 18), the Galápagos Islands are accidentally discovered (Mar 10), Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia and one time Lord Chancellor of England, is executed for treason (Jul 6), the first complete English-language Bible is printed in Antwerp (Oct 4) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1599, the Kalmar Bloodbath takes place in Kalmar, Sweden (May 16), the Earl of Essex takes Cahir Castle in Ireland (May 29), a Dutch fleet returns to Amsterdam from the Second Dutch Expedition to Indonesia, carrying large amounts of pepper, cloves and nutmeg (Jul 19), the Swedish King Sigismund is dethroned by his uncle Duke Charles (Jul 24), the Åbo Bloodbath takes place in Swedish Finland (Nov 10) and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida In the year 1564, French settlers abandon Charlesfort, the first French attempt at colonizing what is now the United States, and establish Fort Caroline in Florida (Jun 22), the Ronneby Bloodbath takes place in Denmark (now in Sweden) (Sep 4), Spanish Conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi sails from Mexico, later to conquer the Philippine Islands (Nov 21) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1529, the Westrogothian rebellion breaks out in Sweden (Apr 9), but the King persists, Buda (Sep 8) and Vienna (Sep 23) are invaded by the Ottomans, Thomas More succeeds Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of England (Oct 26), Paracelsus visits Nuremberg - and all these fine people were born: 1529-xxxx Willem Bloys van Treslong* nobleman/military leader during the Dutch war of Independence/a leader of the Sea Beggars - Den Briel (1594/c. Continue reading

In the year 1589, King Henry III of France and his designated successor, Henry of Navarre, besiege Paris (Jan), Henry III is assassinated (Aug 1), and dies (Aug 2), monks in the Pechenga Monastery are massacred by the Swedes in the Russo-Swedish War (Dec 25), Hiroshima is founded, the Bavarian brewery Hofbräuhaus is founded - and all these fine people were born: 1589-0108Ivan Gundulić* Croatian poet - Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragisa (1638/49) Continue reading

In the year 1530, Florence is captured by Spanish troops (Aug 3), flood engulfs Rome (Oct 8), The Knights of Malta are formed (Oct 26), Martim Afonso de Sousa’s expedition sets out for the Americas from Portugal (Dec), Erasmus publishes A handbook on manners for children – and all these fine people were born: 1530-xxxx Jean Nicot de Villemain* diplomat/ scholar/famous for being the first to bring tobacco to France - Nîmes, Kingdom of France (1604/c. Continue reading

Ericka Stadden - Feb 1, 2020very interesting details you have remarked, thankyou for posting. Hi Ericka, and thanks a lot for your comment! I’m currently writing my first Newsletter, and you’ll be getting it soon too!

Potosí in modern-day Bolivia, 2003 In the year 1545, the Scots defeat the numerically superior English forces at the Battle of Ancrum Moor (Feb 27), the Spanish conquistadores found the mining town Potosí, the huge silver deposits of which provide most of the wealth on which the Spanish Empire is based (Apr 1), Spanish explorer Ortiz de Retez sets out to navigate the northern coast of New Guinea (Jun 13), Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, is sunk by the French (Jul 18) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Bernard Skog - Feb 3, 2020This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this information. Awesome blog, thanks for the useful information. Thank you for your comment, Austin! More info on years past coming up as time goes by.

In the year 1555, John Rogers - burned at the stake in London - becomes the first Protestant martyr under Mary I of England (Feb 4), Pope Paul IV creates the Roman Ghetto, the first Jewish ghetto in Rome (Jul 12), Russia breaks a 60-year-old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland, negro – the Spanish term for black person – is coined - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

CliftonMirkovich - Jan 2, 2020Personally,if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before I am trying to find things to improve my web site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!! Absolutely! You are so welcome! Loving the information on this website , you have done outstanding job on the posts. Hi Jerrica! Continue reading

Emperor Montezuma II welcomes Cortés in Mexico, photo credit to Architect of the Capitol In 1519, Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores land in Mexico (Mar 4), Martin Luther joins the debate regarding papal authority (Jul 4), Panama City is founded (Aug 15), Cortés enters the court of Aztec ruler Montezuma (Nov 8), cacao comes to Europe, St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia is completed, and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Francis Drake leaves Plymouth in England on an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas, and ends up circumnavigating the world (Dec 13), the MacDonald inhabitants of the Scottish island of Eigg are supposedly massacred by the Clan MacLeod, the church in San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert in Chile is built - and all these fine people were born: 1577-0208 Robert Burton* scholar - Lindley, Leicestershire, England (1640/62) Continue reading

Cosmographiae Introductio by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, with accompanying wall map. The German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller publishes his world map, naming the new continent America in honor of his friend Amerigo Vespucci (Apr), the Portuguese occupy Mozambique, King James IV grants a patent for the first printing press in Scotland , the Timurid Dynasty ends, the Aztec New Fire ceremony is held for the last time - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1600, Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome (Feb 17), Tycho Brahe observes a solar eclipse (Jul 10), and colleague Longomontanus works with him with Moon’s orbital theory (Jul), Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats Ishida Mitsunari and sets the stage for the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. This begins the Edo period (Oct 21), sumo wrestling becomes a professional sport in Japan - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_8440” align=“alignleft” width=“310”]The motte of Fotheringhay Castle where Mary Stuart was imprisoned in 1587[/caption] Queen Elizabeth I signs the death warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots (Feb 1), beheaded a week later (Feb 8), a group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina, in order to re-establish the deserted colony (Jul 22), Toyotomi Hideyoshi becomes the Daijō-daijin in Japan - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Siamese King Naresuan, in combat on elephant back, kills Burmese Crown Prince Minchit Sra, leading to Burmese forces leaving Siam (Jan 25), the Roman Inquisition opens the seven-year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno (Jan 27), the struggle between the Protestant Reformation (with break from the Roman Catholic Church) and the failed attempt to bring back Catholic liturgy concludes in Uppsala, Sweden (Feb 25), the Habsburgs defeat Ottoman Empire in Croatia (Jun 22) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_2529” align=“alignleft” width=“337”]Tulip fields in the Netherlands[/caption] In the year 1560, Denmark buys the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Apr 15), Oda Nobunaga defeats Imagawa Yoshimoto in the Battle of Okehazama (Jun 12), the Treaty of Edinburgh is signed, and thus ends the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland (Jul 9), the Roman Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland (Aug 17), Eric XIV becomes King of Sweden upon the death of his father Gustav Vasa (Sep 29). Continue reading