1789 — Marie Antionette (allegedly) says “Let them eat cake”
The French phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” is usually translated as “Let them eat cake”, and is widely attributed...
June 14, 2021
Politics & War
January 21, 1793 — Louis XVI of France is executed
The last king of France was not even a king at the time of his execution. He had been arrested...
June 9, 2021
July 13, 1793 — Jean-Paul Marat is killed in his bathtub
Jean-Paul Marat was a fiery republican journalist who was an important figure in the French revolutionary movement. A scientist (he...
June 4, 2021
November 15, 1793 — Mason and Dixon arrive in Philadelphia
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were a pair of English astronomers who were hired by Thomas Penn and Frederick Calvert,...
May 29, 2021
July 1, 1798 – France invades Egypt
Napoleon had grand dreams of empire when he embarked for the Middle East in 1798. And at first, they seemed...
May 24, 2021
July 11, 1804 — Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr fight a duel
People like to describe modern American politics as a blood sport. They have no idea. Back in 1804, former Secretary...
May 9, 2021
November 4, 1804 — Sacajawea joins the Lewis and Clark expedition
Probably the most famous member of Shoshone tribe of North American Indians, Sacajawea (or Sacagawea, depending on your translation) is...
May 4, 2021
April 27, 1805 — The Battle of Derna commences
The first extra-territorial land battle fought by the armed forces of young United States of America. It is the source...
April 29, 2021
December 14, 1812 — French begin retreat from Moscow
It is possibly the most notorious defeat in military history, a textbook example of strategic and logistical errors: Napoleon’s retreat...
April 19, 2021
January 8, 1815 — The Battle of New Orleans takes place
In the annals of military pointlessness, few battles are quite as ridiculous as the Battle of New Orleans. It was...
April 14, 2021
Search
