479 B. C. Battle of Mycale, between the Greeks and Persians. This
victory happened in the 24th of the Bœotian month Panemus, observed
as an anniversary by the Greek confederates. The Persians, computed at
100,000 men, were completely defeated and despoiled.
479 B. C. The battle of Platæa is also placed on the same day, in which
300,000 Persians under Mardonius were defeated by 100,000 Greeks under
Pausanius and Aristides. The loss of the Greeks was inconsiderable; but
of the Persians Mardonius was slain and scarcely one-tenth of his army
escaped by flight. (See Aug. 3.)
19 B. C. PUBLIUS MARO VIRGILIUS, the most excellent of all the ancient
Roman poets, died.
622. Flight of MAHOMET; an imposing event, which took place, it is
ascertained with certainty, sixty-eight days _after_ the commencement of
the great Arabian era, July 16th.
1193. HENRY IV, of Germany, and his captive, Richard the Lion, addressed
letters from Spires to the primates and magnates of England, notifying
the severe terms of ransom "agreed" upon between them.
1298. Battle of Stirlingbridge, between the Scots under Wallace and the
English under Warrenne; the latter defeated and obliged to retire into
England.
1415. HENRY V took Harfleur, in France, reducing it to an English
colony.
1536. WILLIAM TYNDALE, one of the first publishers of the Bible in
English, was burnt at the stake at Antwerp.
1554. The duke of Northumberland with Sir JOHN GATES and Sir THOMAS
PALMER executed.
1559. ROBERT STEPHENS, the celebrated and learned Parisian printer,
died, aged 56.
1604. Ostend, a seaport in Flanders, surrendered to the Spanish under
general Spinola, after a close siege of upwards of three years. The
Spanish are supposed to have lost 80,000 men during this siege; and not
less than 50,000 English and Dutch perished in the town during that
time.
1632. FREDERICK BORROMEO, archbishop of Milan, died. He sustained an
excellent character, and founded the Ambrosian library.
1646. JOHN FRANCIS NICERON died; an eminent French mathematician and
optician; and author of some valuable works.
1662. JOHN BIDDLE, styled the father of the English unitarians, died in
prison, a martyr to principle.
1688. FRANCIS BERNIER, a celebrated French traveler and physician, died
at Paris. He extended his travels to the Mogul empire, where he became
physician to Aurungzebe.
1692. Two men and seven women executed at Salem for witchcraft. One of
them was pressed to death for standing mute.
1703. VINCENT VIVIANI, a famous Florentine mathematician, died. He was
the pupil and friend of Galileo.
1708. Battle near Smolensko, in which the Swedes under Charles XII,
consisting of six regiments of horse and 4,000 infantry, attacked and
defeated 10,000 horse and 6,000 Calmucks. The king killed above a dozen
with his own hand.
1735. PETER BROWNE, bishop of Cork, died. He distinguished himself by
some philosophical writings.
1738. JOSEPH AVERANIUS died; a Florentine philosopher, of great powers
of mind.
1741. In the north of Ireland wheat sold at sixpence a stone of 14 lbs.,
and beef at one penny a pound.
1742. BENOIT, a learned Phœnician, died. He became a Hebrew professor
at Pisa, and edited the works of Ephrem Syrus.
1743. GEORGE CLINTON arrived at New York, as governor of the province,
"seeking nothing more than a genteel frugality and common civility,
while he was mending his fortunes, till his friends could recall him,
and with justice to their own characters and interests, to some indolent
and more lucrative station."
1761. GEORGE III and his queen CHARLOTTE, crowned at Westminster.
1769. ANTHONY GENOVESI died; a native of Castiglione, who acquired great
celebrity as a lecturer on philosophy at Naples; and much odium by
adopting the theories of Galileo, Grotius and Newton.
1770. Convention of the people of Massachusetts, consisting of delegates
from 96 towns and 8 districts, met at Faneuil hall to consider the
grievance of standing armies, &c.
1770. THOMAS LE SUER died at Rome, where he taught theology, philosophy
and mathematics with great applause.
1774. CLEMENT XVI (_John Ganganelli_), pope, died. He was studious in
his youth, and recommended himself to office by his abilities and
merits.
1788. The Oneidas ceded all their lands to the state of New York.
1792. Commencement of the French republican era. It computes from
midnight: "the 1st of the 1st decade of the 1st month (Vendemaire) of
the 1st year of the French republic, one and indivisible."
1796. The English frigate Amphion blown up at Plymouth. Out of 220, 16
only saved.
1803. ANGIOLO FABRONI, an Italian ecclesiastic, died. He wrote an
account of the learned men in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, in
21 vols.
1814. The celebrated colossal statue of sir William Wallace, the
Scottish chief, finished under the direction of the earl of Buchan.
This statue overlooks the grave of sir Walter Scott.
1837. DAVID UNWINS, a distinguished London physician, died. He was a man
of literature and science, and author of several valuable medical works.
1846. The battle of Monterey, in Mexico, was fought. The Americans
though signally victorious, yet lost many brave officers and men. It
began on the 21st and was concluded on the 23d.
1851. LOUIS KOSSUTH, the Hungarian chief, and thirty-five of his country
men, were sentenced to death _in contumaciam_, at Pesth, for not
appearing after citation.
1851. MARY MARTHA SHERWOOD, an English writer of juvenile books, died at
Twickenham, aged 77. Her works number about fifty, and were valuable and
popular, particularly _Little Henry and his Bearer_.
1852. PHILIP MILLEDOLER, president of Rutgers college, died at Staten
Island, aged 77. He was one of the framers of the American Bible
society, and was an eminent minister of the Dutch reformed church.
1854. JOHN PURVIANCE, a Maryland jurist, died, aged 81. He was judge of
the county court of Baltimore nearly thirty years, and left a fine
library which was dispersed by auction after his death.
1854. THOMAS DENMAN, an English judge and peer, died, aged 75. He
distinguished himself in parliament, and also in the trial of queen
Caroline. He presided in the court of queen's bench more than 17 years.