Marcus Aurelius becomes Emperor of Rome
Richard Cavendish marks the anniversary of this great emperor's accession, on March 7th, AD 161.
Months Past
The Regency Period Begins
George Augustus Frederick was appointed Prince Regent to his father King George III on February 5th, 1811. He was a heavy drinker and a compulsive gambler.
Edward the Confessor canonised
Richard Cavendish describes Edward the Confessor's canonisation, on January 5th, 1161.
South Carolina secedes from the Union
One of the founder members of the Confederacy seceded from the United States on 20 December 1860.
The Long March
The traumatic but ultimately victorious march of Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists ended on 22 October 1935.
The Visigoths sack Rome
Richard Cavendish describes the attack, on August 24th 410, that signalled the beginning of the end of the Western Roman empire
The Castlereagh-Canning Duel
The two politicians fought on September 21st, 1809.
The First Flying Trapeze
The circus act was first performed on 12 November 1859.
Samuel Pepys begins his diary
The diarist began his work on January 1st 1660.
The House of Lords Rejects the 1909 People’s Budget
The budget proposed by the Liberal government was 'a social and political revolution of the first magnitude'. After passing the Commons, it was voted down by the House of Lords on 30 November 1909.