Old style dates: indicating that the dates are still using the Julian system of dating, rather than the Gregorian (which in Britain was fully implemented in 1752).
(OS)
Fact of the Day
James Garfield, the twentieth president of the USA, could write in Greek with one hand and at the same time write in Latin with the other.
Quote of the Day
"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.
"
~ Samuel Johnson
On This Day
1152 The Duke of Normandy and future Henry II of England became Duke of Aquitaine when he married Eleanor, eight weeks after the annulment of her marriage to Louis VII of France.
1554 Former mentor to Edward VI, William Thomas, was executed following the failure of the Wyatt Rebellion against Mary I.
1804 Napoleon was proclaimed emperor by the French senate.
1812 The assassin of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, John Bellingham, was hanged. He had been held prisoner in Russia when working as an export agent, and the British government had refused to compensate him. A civil servant told him to take matters into his own hands, which he did. A plea for insanity failed, but the public ensured that his family were thereafter well supported.
1911 Composer Gustav Mahler died from a bacterial infection in the heart, aged 50. The last word he uttered was 'Mozart'.
1980 Mount St Helens erupted in what has been called the most disastrous volcanic eruption in United States history. Between 55 and 60 people were killed, and the direct cost was about $1.1 billion (in 1980).
1991 Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space when she participated in the Soviet Soyuz TM-12 mission.