A Dynasty is Founded
On 8 February 1644, Li Zicheng, a rebel warlord, proclaimed the foundation of his own Shun dynasty.
Mathew Lyons
Ringing the Changes
The first-known secular bell-ringing society was founded on 2 February 1604.
Battle of Nsamankow
The British faced a 10,000-strong army on 21 January 1824.
Joan of Arc’s Trial Begins
The interrogations at the heresy trial began in Rouen on 9 January 1431.
Discovery of a Living Fossil
The coelacanth, believed to have been extinct for 70 million years, was rediscovered by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer on 22 December 1938.
Premiere of a Christmas Classic
It’s a Wonderful Life had its first screening on 20 December 1946.
The Finnish Club War
The Cudgel War broke out on 25 November 1596, in Kyrö, South Ostrobothnia.
Death of Thomas Tallis
One of the first – and greatest – composers of English Protestant church music died on 23 November 1585.
The Conquest of Lisbon
The city surrendered to Afonso I of Portugal and a group of crusaders on 25 October 1147.
Death of Sultan Razia
The ruler with ‘a talent for war’ was murdered by her captors on 13 October 1240.