Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Historical Events on 3 May

Historical Events on 3 May

1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
1494 - Christopher Columbus first sights land that will be called Jamaica.
1715 - "Edmund Halley's" total solar eclipse (the last one visible in London, United Kingdom for almost 900 years).
1791 - The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1802 - Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city.
1808 - Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are fired upon near Príncipe Pío hill.
1808 - Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
1815 - Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
1830 - The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened. It is the first steam hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
1837 - The University of Athens is founded.
1849 - The May Uprising in Dresden begins - the last of the German revolutions of 1848.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Historical Events on 2 May

Historical Events on 2 May

1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
1230 - William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
1335 - Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
1568 - Mary I of Scotland escapes from Loch Leven Castle, where she had been imprisoned by Sir William Douglas.
1670 - King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
1672 - John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
1808 - Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
1816 - Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Charlotte Augusta.
1829 - After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of the HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
1863 - American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering for the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
1866 - Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
1876 - The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria.
1885 - Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
1885 - Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
1885 - The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium.
1889 - Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, which gives Italy control over Eritrea.
1900 - Oscar II, King of Sweden, declares support for the United Kingdom at the time of the Second Boer War.
1918 - General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
1920 - The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1932 - Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
1933 - Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.
1945 - World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building. German forces surrender in Italy. German forces surrender to the New Zealand Army in Trieste.