1356 B. C. The Eleusinia, or great Grecian mysteries, founded in this
year, so celebrated throughout the classical world, were observed by the
Athenians at Eleusis, every fifth year for nine days, commencing on the
15th Boedromion; introduced in memory of Ceres.
310 B. C. AGATHOCLES landed in Africa during an eclipse of the sun, not
many weeks subsequent to his defeat by the Carthagenians at Himera.
Epicurus began in that year to teach at Mitylene and Lampsacus.
423. HONORIUS, emperor of Rome, died; who, with his brother Arcadius,
first divided the empire into east and west sovereignties.
718. The second and memorable siege of Constantinople (under the reign
of Leo the Isaurian), by the Saracens, raised. It commenced, according
to Theophanes, on the same day of the preceding year.
1038. STEPHEN I, of Hungary, died. He introduced Christianity into his
kingdom, and enacted wise laws for the benefit of his people.
1096. The princes of the crusade began their march through Germany.
1118. ALEXIUS COMNENUS I, emperor of Constantinople, died. He usurped
the throne 1080, and distinguished himself in his wars with the Turks.
1279. ALBERT (_the great_), of Brunswick, died; a monk who acquired
great knowledge in an age of ignorance.
1369. PHILIPPA, of England, died; memorable for her humanity towards the
six condemned citizens of Calais, when that city fell into the hands of
Edward.
1635. Great storm in New England. The tide rose 20 feet, a great many
houses and plantations were destroyed, and the Narragansetts were
obliged to climb trees for safety; the tide of flood returning before
the usual time, many of them were drowned.
1656. JAMES BOWELS, a native of Killingworth, England, died, aged 152.
1661. THOMAS FULLER, an English historian and divine, died. It is said
of his memory, among other incredible things, that he could repeat a
sermon verbatim on once hearing it.
1702. Unsuccessful attack of the British under admiral Rooke and the
duke of Ormond, on Cadiz.
1702. Battle of Lauzara, in Italy, between the allies under prince
Eugene, and the French under the duke de Vendome.
1725. GERARD NOODT, an eminent Dutch civilian, died.
1728. The queen of Sardinia died; she was the daughter of Charles I of
England.
1729. BENJAMIN NEUKIRCH, a German poet, died. He deserves a place in
history rather as having taken the first step to reform German
literature, than as a good writer.
1733. A Roman pavement of mosaic work discovered in Little St. Helen's,
Bishop gate street, London; supposed to have lain over 1700 years.
1741. BEHRING discovered East cape, the easternmost point of Asia.
1746. NICHOLAS HUBERT DE MONGAULT, an ingenious and learned French
critic, died.
1751. THOMAS SHAW, an English divine and antiquary, died; a writer on
Barbary and the Levant.
1758. Kustrin, the capital of the new march of Brandenburg, bombarded by
the Russians, and reduced to a heap of ruins.
1758. PIERRE BOUGUER, a celebrated French mathematician, died. He was
employed to measure a degree of the meridian in Peru, a difficult task,
which he accomplished with great fidelity.
1760. LACY RYAN died; an English dramatic writer, but more eminent as an
actor.
1764. IWAN, son of prince Anthony Ulric, of Russia, massacred in prison
by his keepers. He was grandson of Peter the Great, and had been kept in
prison almost from his birth.
1769. Birthday of NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, at Ajaccio, in the island of
Corsica.
1771. Birthday of sir WALTER SCOTT, at Edinburgh.
1780. American general SUMPTER attacked and carried a redoubt on the
Wateree, and intercepted a convoy from fort Ninety-six, with 40 wagons
loaded with stores, and took 100 prisoners.
1782. Briant's Station, near Lexington, Ky., attacked by 500 Indians and
Canadians, who were repulsed, and retreated on the third day, having
lost 30 killed.
1786. THOMAS TRYWHITT, an English antiquary and critic, died; author of
several learned works, and one of the many commentators on Shakspeare.
1793. _Levée en masse_ was proposed in the French assembly which proved
the foundation of the famous but tyrannical conscription act of
Napoleon.
1794. French convention ordered the French and American flags to be
united and hung up together in the hall of their sitting. James Monroe
was received as minister from the United States.
1799. The French under MASSENA defeated the Austrians and Russians under
the archduke Charles, at Richterswyl, Etzel and Schwindelezzi, in
Switzerland. Lecourbe forced the famous pass of the Devil's bridge, took
possession of St. Gothard, and seized on the Valois.
1801. CHARLES LOUIS L'HERITIER DE BRUTELLE, a French botanist,
assassinated. He published _Stirpes Novæ_, a splendid book, and was
engaged in preparing a work on English plants.
1802. BONAPARTE invested with the sole power of nominating his successor
and of appointing two subordinate consuls, and nominating a large number
of additional senators, &c.
1812. British general BROCK summoned the city of Detroit to surrender,
occupied by general Hull.
1812. Battle of fort Chicago; the garrison, consisting of 54 regulars
and 12 militia, was attacked by the Indians and after a resolute
resistance of some hours, in which 26 of the regulars, all the militia,
2 women and 12 children, were killed, they surrendered on the promise of
protection. The survivors, however, 25 men and 11 women, were brutally
massacred.
1814. Assault on fort Erie by the British under colonel Drummond, who
were repulsed with great loss. The attack commenced at 2 o'clock in the
morning, and it was a part of the British orders that no quarters should
be given. The action was desperate and bloody; the British lost by
official report, 57 killed, 309 wounded, 539 missing--by another account
they lost 222 killed, 174 badly wounded, and 186 prisoners, besides 200
killed at Snake Hill. Colonel Drummond was killed; acting up to his
barbarous order, when a wounded American officer asked quarter, he shot
him with a pistol, whereupon a soldier leveled his piece and shot
Drummond in the breast. Total American loss, 93--killed 26, wounded 92,
missing 11.
1815. JOHN MEERMAN, a celebrated Dutch author, died. Under Bonaparte he
was made director of the fine arts and minister of public instruction,
and became a count of the empire and senator. His library sold in 1824
for 131,000 florins.
1816. Great fire at Constantinople; 1200 houses and 3000 shops and
magazines destroyed.
1844. WILLIAM LEET STONE, a New York editor, died, aged 52. He published
memoirs of Brant, and of Red Jacket, and some other works, and edited
for a long time the _New York Commercial Advertiser_. He was also
superintendent of common schools in that city.
1849. Riot at Montreal; house of L. H. Lafontaine, head of the Canadian
ministry, was assailed by a mob. Fire arms were discharged from the
building, by which one person was killed, and the rest driven back.
1851. A violent and destructive tornado occurred at St. Louis, Missouri.
1853. A conspiracy discovered in Rome; 146 persons arrested.
1854. STEPHEN SIMPSON, died at Philadelphia. He was at one period of his
life an editor, and gained considerable celebrity as a political writer,
especially against the United States bank, over the signature of Brutus,
in Duane's _Aurora_.