55 B. C. TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS, one of the best of the Latin poets,
died.
1564. ANDREAS VESALIUS, a celebrated Dutch anatomist, died. He revived
the study of anatomy in Europe, which had been neglected, and impeded by
the prejudices of ignorance.
1608. Birthday of EVANGELISTE TORRICELLI, the Italian mathematician, and
inventor of the barometer.
1634. About sixty men, women and children, with their horses, cattle and
swine, commenced a journey from the vicinity of Boston, through the
wilderness to Connecticut river. After a tedious journey of fourteen
days through swamps and over mountains and rivers, they arrived at the
place of their destination, and commenced the settlements of Hartford,
Windsor and Weathersfield.
1644. GABRIEL DU PINEAU, an eminent French _avocat_, died; celebrated
for his genius and eloquence; his counsel was often sought by the court,
and he acquired the title of father of the people.
1651. JOHN OWEN, an eminent English divine, died. His works amount to 7
vols. folio, 20 quarto, and 30 octavo.
1651. King CHARLES II, who since his defeat at Worcester had wandered
about from one royalist family to another, sleeping in their barns at
night and concealing himself in the woods by day, escaped to France. A
large oak on which he frequently stood in the woods near White-ladies,
obtained the name of the royal oak.
1671. JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, an eminent German protestant divine and
grammarian, died.
1711. The Edgar, admiral Hovenburgh's ship, blown up with 400 seamen on
board, the officers being on shore.
1728. BERNARD DE LA MONNOYE, an elegant French poet, died. He also wrote
in Greek, Latin and Italian.
1743. JOHN OZELL, an indefatigable English writer, died; he is
immortalized by Pope in the _Dunciad_.
1760. Battle of Campen; the French defeated the prince of Brunswick,
who had a horse killed under him, and lost 1,600 men, chiefly British
troops.
1764. GIBBON says that on this day, as he sat musing among the ruins of
the Roman capitol, while the barefooted friars were singing vespers in
the temple of Jupiter, he first conceived the idea of writing the
_Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_.
1778. PULASKI'S infantry surprised in the night by the British, and 50
killed, including baron de Bose. The timely arrival of Pulaski with the
cavalry alone saved them from utter destruction.
1783. PILATRE DE ROZIER, the first aerial adventurer, made his first
ascension from a garden in Paris. The balloon was of an oval shape.
1793. Battle of Tirlemont; the French defeated by the Austrians under
Clairfait, with the loss of 2,000 killed, and 24 cannon, &c.
1793. Battle of Maubege; the French under Jourdan defeated the prince of
Coburg, being his first defeat in a pitched battle, and compelled him to
repass the Sambre.
1797. Celebration at Mantua of the birthday of the poet Virgil, when
handsome dowries, raised by voluntary contributions among the "friends
of learning and rural felicity," were distributed among fifty poor
girls, who were the same day married to fifty industrious but poor young
men.
1806. PAUL JOSEPH BARTHEZ, a learned French physician, died. He founded
the celebrated medical school at Montpellier, and acquired so great
reputation that he became a member of almost every learned society, and
some of his works were translated into most of the European languages.
1808. JAMES ANDERSON, an eminent Scottish writer, died. His first
literary productions were on agriculture, which produced a greatly
increased attention to the subject. His learning and research were
conspicuous in the various subjects on which he wrote, and he was an
original and accurate thinker.
1812. Action between United States frigate President, commodore Rodgers,
and British packet Swallow; the latter was captured, with nearly
$200,000 on board.
1814. Skirmish between detachments of the armies of the American
generals Brown and Izard, each of whom had advanced to reconnoitre the
British works. Four men were killed before the mistake was discovered.
1838. LETITIA ELIZABETH MCLEAN (better known as _L. E. L._), died at
Cape-Coast castle, Africa, of which settlement her husband was governor.
Her writings consist of poems and novels.