slug: calcutta

label: Calcutta

date: September 18

text: September 18 – John Deane, a colonial administrator of Britain's British East India Company, returns to Calcutta (Kolkata) after an absence of more than two years, and takes office at Fort William to return to administering the Bengal Presidency, an area now covering the Indian state of West Bengal and the nation of Bangladesh.

title: 1728

section: Events › July–September

section: Culture & Society

date: April 13

text: April 13 – Warren Hastings begins his service for the British East India Company as Governor of Bengal, arriving at the company's headquarters at Fort William, outside of Calcutta, and including what are now parts of northeast India and Bangladesh. Hastings serves for two years, then later becomes Governor-General of India.

title: 1772

section: Events › April–June

date: July 10

text: July 10 – Fort William College is established by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General of India, in Calcutta, to promote Bengali, Hindi and other vernaculars of the Indian subcontinent.

title: 1800

section: Health & Medicine

text: The first cholera pandemic originates in Bengal, reaching Calcutta by September.

title: 1817

section: Events › Date unknown

date: August 1

text: August 1 – William Pitt Amherst arrives in Calcutta with Lady Amherst to become the new Governor-General of India.

title: 1823

text: July 4 – Lord William Bentinck arrives at Calcutta (modern-day Kolkata) to begin his administration as the new Governor-General of India, on behalf of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

title: 1828

date: July 13

text: July 13 – The General Assembly's Institution (later the Scottish Church College), one of the pioneering institutions that ushers in the Bengali Renaissance, is founded by Alexander Duff and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, in Calcutta, India.

title: 1830

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: November 2

text: November 2 – The ship Atlas docks in Mauritius carrying the first group of laborers (from Calcutta) under the Indian indenture system to work on sugar plantations following the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

title: 1834

section: Religion & Belief

text: The sixth bishop of Calcutta, Daniel Wilson, and Dr. James Taylor, Civil Surgeon at Dhaka, establish the first modern educational institution on the Indian subcontinent, Dhaka College.

title: 1841

text: The Free Church Institution is established by Reverend Alexander Duff in Calcutta, India. This is later merged with the General Assembly's Institution to form the Scottish Church College, one of the pioneering institutions that ushers in the Bengali Renaissance.

title: 1844

section: Climate & Environment

date: October 5

text: October 5 – A cyclone kills 70,000 people in and around Calcutta in India.

title: 1864

section: Events › October

date: April 1

text: April 1 – The Strait Settlement of Singapore, formerly ruled from Calcutta, becomes a Crown colony, under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office in London.

title: 1867

section: Events › April

text: The first volume of the Linguistic Survey of India is published in Calcutta.

title: 1898

section: Events › Unknown dates

date: December 12

text: December 12 – The Delhi Durbar is held to mark the coronation of George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India, and the transfer of the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi.

title: 1911

section: Events › December

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: April 4

text: April 4–September 27 – Komagata Maru incident: The sails from India to Canada. Canadian regulations, designed to exclude Asian immigrants, prevent the boat from docking in Vancouver, and it is forced to return to Calcutta with all its passengers.

title: 1914

date: January 12

text: January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.

title: 1924

section: Events › January

date: January 6

text: January 6 – Albanian missionary sister Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, later known as Mother Teresa, arrives in Calcutta from Ireland to begin her work in India.

title: 1929

date: August 16

text: August 16 – Direct Action Day: Violence between Muslims and Hindus in Calcutta begins "The Week of the Long Knives", which leaves 3,000 dead.

title: 1946

section: Events › August

date: February 19

text: February 19 – The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.

title: 1948

section: Events › February

date: February 28

text: February 28 – The 2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India convenes in Calcutta.

title: 1948

date: November 1

text: November 1 – The Hungry generation Movement is launched in Calcutta, India.

title: 1961

section: Events › November


slug: caledonians

label: Caledonians

description: Celtic tribal confederacy in present-day Scotland during the Iron Age and Roman era

year_label: 77 CE

section: Conflict & Security

text: The Caledonian tribes in Scotland form a confederacy of 30,000 warriors, under the leadership of Calgacus.

title: AD 77

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

year_label: 82 CE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Calgacus unites the Picts (30,000 men) in Scotland, and is made chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy.

title: AD 82

text: Gnaeus Julius Agricola raises a fleet, and encircles the Celtic tribes beyond the Forth; the Caledonians rise in great numbers against the Romans. They attack the camp of Legio IX Hispana at night, but Agricola sends his cavalry in, and puts them to flight.

title: AD 82

year_label: 84 CE

text: Possible date of the Battle of Mons Graupius (AD 83 or 84), in which Gnaeus Julius Agricola defeats the Caledonians.

title: AD 84

text: Emperor Hadrian orders that a 73-mile (117-kilometer) wall be built to mark the northern Roman Empire while personally visiting the area. Hadrian's Wall, as it comes to be known, is intended to keep the Caledonians, Picts and other tribes at bay.

title: AD 122

text: Emperor Antoninus Pius orders the construction of the Antonine Wall. The wall stretches 39 miles (63 km), from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire on the Firth of Clyde, to Carriden near Bo'ness on the Firth of Forth (Scotland). The Romans build 19 forts and smaller fortlets (milecastles), to protect the border against the Caledonians.

title: AD 142

text: Hadrian's Wall is restored, after heavy raids by Caledonian tribes had overrun much of northern Britain.

title: 205

text: Emperor Septimius Severus leads an expedition (20,000 men) into Britannia, crosses Hadrian's Wall and moves through eastern Scotland. The Roman army pushes the Caledonians back to the River Tay and Severus signs a peace treaty. He repairs the Antonine Wall (his repairs are sometimes called the Severan Wall).

title: 208

text: Septimius Severus makes plans to subdue the land to the north of Scotland, ravaging it severely. Road-building and forest-clearing, the Roman army reaches Aber; Scottish tribes begin guerrilla warfare.

title: 209


slug: california

label: California

description: state of the United States of America

section: Science & Discovery

text: 2832 BC: Estimated germination of the oldest living tree and organism on earth as of 2020 the Methuselah Tree, the second-oldest known organism. Sprouting in what would become Inyo County, California.

title: 29th century BC

section: Events

date: September 28

text: September 28 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo lands in what is now San Diego Bay, and names it "San Miguel", claiming it for the Spanish Empire. San Miguel will later become the city of San Diego. This marks the first time a European sees what is now the U.S. state of California.

title: 1542

section: Events › July–September

date: June 17

text: June 17 – Francis Drake, during his circumnavigation of the world, lands in modern-day California, which he claims for Queen Elizabeth I. With an English claim here and in Newfoundland, it becomes the basis for English colonial charters which will claim all land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from "sea to sea." Drake's claim is called Nova Albion (New England), and subsequent maps will show all lands north of New Spain and New Mexico under this name.

title: 1579

section: Events › April–June

date: November 7

text: November 7 – Portuguese explorer Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho, who had departed from the Philippines on the ship San Agustin on July 5 with cargo of Asian silk, porcelain, and almost 100 passengers and crew, drops anchor at Drakes Bay in what is now the U.S. state of California. He and some of his crew come ashore, where they are greeted by Native Americans. A gale in a few weeks later sinks the San Agustin, killing at least 7 people and ruining the ship's cargo. The crew salvages a launch that they had brought with them.

title: 1595

section: Events › October–December

date: May 14

text: May 14 – Charles III of Spain sends Spanish missionaries, who found California missions in San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Monterey, and begin the settlement of California.

title: 1769

date: September 8

text: September 8 – In California, Fathers Pedro Cambon and Angel Somera found Mission Vieja, later called, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, in what becomes San Gabriel, California.

title: 1771

date: February 21

text: February 21 – The Chumash Revolt of 1824 begins against the Spanish presence in Alta California (now the U.S. state of California) as an uprising by the Chumash people at Mission Santa Inés

title: 1824

section: Events › January–March

date: July 7

text: July 7 – Mexican–American War: Battle of Monterey – Acting on instructions from Washington, D.C., Commodore John Drake Sloat orders his troops to occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the United States annexation of California.

title: 1846

date: January 13

text: January 13 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends fighting in the Mexican–American War in California.

title: 1847

date: January 16

text: January 16 – John C. Frémont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.

title: 1847

section: Culture & Society

date: August 19

text: August 19 – California Gold Rush: The New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States that there is a gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).

title: 1848

date: September 9

text: September 9 – California is admitted as the 31st U.S. state.

title: 1850

section: Crime & Justice

date: July 25

text: July 25 – Outlaw and bandit Joaquin Murrieta is killed in California.

title: 1853

date: May 3

text: May 3 – American adventurer William Walker and a group of armed mercenaries (filibusters) sail from San Francisco in California south to Central America to attempt to conquer Nicaragua.

title: 1855

date: January 8

text: January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.

title: 1856

date: February 26

text: February 26 – The Calaveras Skull is discovered in California. Purported to be evidence of humans in North America during the Pliocene epoch, it turns out to be a hoax.

title: 1866

date: March 23

text: March 23 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California, when the Organic Act is signed into California law.

title: 1868

section: Events › March

section: Economy & Finance

text: Star Oil Company, predecessor of the global Chevron energy product and sales brand, is founded in California.

title: 1876

date: June 15

text: June 15 – Eadweard Muybridge produces the first sequence of stop-motion still photographs The Horse in Motion in California (a predecessor of silent film), demonstrating that all four feet of a galloping horse are off the ground at the same time.

title: 1878

section: Events › June

text: Food product and processing brand Del Monte Foods is founded in California, United States.

title: 1886

text: May 14 – The cornerstone of the new Stanford University, in northern California, is laid (the college opens in 1891).

title: 1887

section: Events › May

date: January 1

text: January 1 – The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada.

title: 1889

date: October 1

text: October 1 – Yosemite National Park is established in California.

title: 1890

text: October 1 – Stanford University in California opens its doors.

title: 1891

text: July 10 – Death Valley, California hits 134 °F (~56.7 °C), the all-time highest temperature recorded on Earth (although its validity has been challenged, and in 2020 a temperature of 54.4 °C °F was recorded at the same location, which would make it the world's highest verified air temperature, subject to confirmation).

title: 1913

section: Events › July

date: May 22

text: May 22 – Lassen Peak, one of the Cascade Volcanoes in California, erupts, sending an ash plume 30,000 feet in the air, and devastating the nearby area with pyroclastic flows and lahars. It is the only volcano to erupt in the contiguous United States this century, until the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

title: 1915

date: August 9

text: August 9 – Lassen Volcanic National Park is established in California.

title: 1916

text: November 7 – 1916 United States presidential election: Democratic President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeats Republican Charles Evans Hughes, when California is called a week after Election Day.

title: 1916

text: September 8 – Honda Point disaster: Nine United States Navy destroyers run aground off the California coast.

title: 1923

section: Events › September–October

text: December 12 – The first motel in the world, the Milestone Mo-Tel (later the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo), opens in San Luis Obispo, California.

title: 1925

date: August 29

text: August 29 – The collides with the oil tanker S.C.T. Dodd off the California coast, causing the San Juan to sink in 3 minutes, killing 77 people.

title: 1929

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: November 12

text: November 12 – In California, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.

title: 1936

section: Events › November–December

date: March 3

text: March 3 – The Santa Ana River in California, United States, spills over its banks during a rainy winter, killing 58 people in Orange County, and causing trouble as far inland as Palm Springs.

title: 1938

date: March 28

text: March 28 – American adventurer Richard Halliburton delivers a last message from a Chinese junk, before he disappears on a voyage across the Pacific Ocean. In 1945, some wreckage identified as a rudder, and believed to belong to the junk, washes ashore in San Diego, California.

title: 1939

text: August 31 – British film stars Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh are married at the San Ysidro Ranch in California.

title: 1940

text: May 6 – At California's March Field, entertainer Bob Hope performs his first USO Show.

title: 1941

text: March 17 – The Hells Angels motorcycle gang is founded in California.

title: 1948

text: June 15–July 1 – In New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, thousands of acres of forests are destroyed in fires.

title: 1951

text: August 17 – The first planning session of Narcotics Anonymous is held in Southern California (see October 5).

title: 1953

text: July 16 – United States Marine Major John Glenn flies an F8U supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds, setting a new transcontinental speed record.

title: 1957

text: September 29 – The Canadian Alouette 1, the first satellite built outside the United States and the Soviet Union, is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

title: 1962

text: August 11 – Racial rioting in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Watts breaks out after an African American motorist, Marquette Frye, is stopped on suspicion of drunken driving. Six days of unrest are quelled by over 14,000 members of the California National Guard. There are 34 deaths and over $40 million in property damage. It is the largest and costliest urban rebellion of the Civil Rights movement.

title: 1965

text: December 20 – The first known Zodiac Killer murder takes place in Lake Herman Road, Vallejo, California.

title: 1968

text: May 20 – United States National Guard helicopters spray skin-stinging powder on anti-war protesters in California.

title: 1969

text: Price Club, as predecessor of Costco, a worldwide membership-registration-only retailer, is founded in California.

title: 1976

text: September 25 – PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in San Diego, California; 144 are killed.

title: 1978

text: July 16 – Former California Governor and actor Ronald Reagan is nominated for U.S. president, at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit. Influenced by the Religious Right, the convention also drops its long-standing support for the Equal Rights Amendment, dismaying moderate Republicans.

title: 1980

text: November 4 – 1980 United States presidential election: Republican challenger and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California defeats incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter and is elected the 40th President of the United States.

title: 1980

text: September 5 – STS-41-D: the Space Shuttle Discovery lands after its maiden voyage at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

title: 1984

text: March 26 – The 62nd Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, with Driving Miss Daisy winning Best Picture.

title: 1990

text: December 4 – John Leonard Orr, one of the most prolific serial arsonists of the 20th century, is arrested in California.

title: 1991

text: October 20 – A large suburban firestorm centered in Oakland Hills, California, kills 25 people and injures 150 others.

title: 1991

text: Sudden oak death, the tree disease caused by the plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, is first observed, in California, United States.

title: 1995

text: August 15 – Bob Dole is nominated for President of the United States, and Jack Kemp for vice president, at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California.

title: 1996

text: January 31 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 passengers and crew.

title: 2000

text: June 22 – Former Winter Hill Gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger is arrested in Santa Monica, California following an anonymous tip.

title: 2011

text: December 2 – Two gunmen open fire at a workplace in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 before dying themselves in a shootout with police. ISIL claimed responsibility.

title: 2015


slug: caligula

label: Caligula

description: third Roman emperor (37–41)

year_label: 12 CE

section: Births

date: August 31

text: August 31 – Caligula, Roman emperor (d. 41 AD)

title: 10s

section: Births › 12 AD

year_label: 29 CE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Agrippina the Elder is exiled to the island of Pandataria, and her sons (except Caligula) are imprisoned by Lucius Aelius Sejanus.

title: 20s

section: Events › 29 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 30 CE

text: Agrippina the Elder (the wife of Germanicus) and two of her sons, Nero Julius Caesar and Drusus Caesar, are arrested and exiled on orders of Lucius Aelius Sejanus (the prefect of the Praetorian Guard), and later starved to death in suspicious circumstances. In Sejanus's purge of Agrippina the Elder and her family, her son Caligula, and her three daughters, Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla are the only survivors.

title: 30s

section: Events › 30 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 34 CE

text: Naevius Sutorius Macro gains favour in the Roman Empire by prostituting his wife Ennia Thrasylla to Caligula.

title: 30s

section: Events › 34 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 35 CE

section: Religion & Belief

text: Emperor Tiberius names Caligula (aka Gaius) and Gamellus, a grandson, as co-heirs.

title: 30s

section: Events › 35 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 37 CE

date: March 18

text: March 18 – The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius's will, and proclaims Caligula as Roman Emperor, nullifying the joint claim of Tiberius Gemellus. Caligula's attempt to have himself deified creates friction between himself and the Senate.

title: 30s

section: Events › 37 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 38 CE

section: Health & Medicine

text: Apion heads a deputation to Emperor Caligula, to complain about the Jews in Alexandria.

title: 30s

section: Events › 38 AD › Roman Empire

section: Deaths

date: June 10

text: June 10 – Julia Drusilla, sister of Caligula (b. AD 16)

title: 30s

section: Deaths › 38 AD

year_label: 39 CE

text: Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Caligula) and Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo become Roman consuls.

title: 30s

section: Events › 39 AD › Roman Empire

text: Tigellinus, minister and favorite of the later Roman emperor Nero, is banished for adultery with Caligula's sisters.

title: 30s

text: Julia Drusilla, daughter of Caligula (d. AD 41)

title: 30s

section: Births › 39 AD

text: Caligula orders that a statue of himself be placed in the Temple in Jerusalem. The governor of Syria, Publius Petronius, who is responsible for having an erecting the statue, faces mass demonstrations by Jews of the region and manages to delay construction of the statue until the death of Caligula in AD 41.

title: 30s

section: Events › 39 AD › Palestine

year_label: 40 CE

text: Emperor Caligula is consul without colleague.

title: 40s

section: Timeline › AD 40

text: Ptolemy of Mauretania, Roman client king (executed by Caligula)

title: 40s

section: Deaths › AD 40

year_label: 41 CE

section: Conflict & Security

date: January 24

text: January 24 – Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards.

title: 40s

section: Timeline › AD 41

text: January 24 – Caligula, Roman emperor (assassinated) (b. 12 AD)

title: 40s

section: Deaths › AD 41

year_label: 52 CE

text: Claudius completes the Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus, two aqueduct projects started by Caligula.

title: 50s

section: Events › 52 AD › Roman Empire


slug: caliph

label: Caliph

description: monarchical title based on claim to be a successor of Muhammad

section: Births

text: Abu Bakr, Muslim Caliph (approximate date)

title: 573

text: Uthman ibn Affan, Muslim Caliph (d. 656)

title: 577

text: Umar, companion of Muhammad (d. 644) and second Caliph of Rashidun Caliphate

title: 583

text: March 28 – Marwan I, Muslim Caliph (d. 685)

title: 623

date: August 23

text: August 23 – Abu Bakr, Muslim Caliph

title: 634

text: Yazid I, Muslim Caliph (d. 683)

title: 645

text: Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Muslim Caliph (d. 705)

title: 646

date: June 20

text: June 20 – Uthman ibn Affan, Muslim Caliph (b. 577) (martyred)

title: 656

date: January 26

text: January 26 – (24 Sha'ban 105 AH) Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, becomes the new Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, which covers most of the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, after his brother Yazid II dies of tuberculosis following a 4-year reign. Hisham reigns for 19 years, during which he appoints Khalid al-Qasri as of Governor of Iraq

title: 724

section: Events › By date

text: Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim Caliph

title: 785

text: al-Mustakfi II, Abbasid Caliph

title: 1451

text: January 8 – Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, Muslim scholar, 1st Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam (d. 1914)

title: 1841

section: Births › January–June

date: January 12

text: January 12 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, 2nd Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam (d. 1965)

title: 1889

section: Births › January

date: November 19

text: November 19 – Abdülmecid II, Crown Prince of the Ottoman Empire, is elected Caliph.

title: 1922

section: Events › November

text: Majlis Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya is established by Khalifat-ul Masih II, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

title: 1938

section: Events › Date unknown


slug: caliphate-of-cordoba

label: Caliphate of Córdoba

description: state in Islamic Iberia (929–1031)

text: Arab forces under Musa ibn Nusayr conquer the fortress city of Mérida, located on the borders of Andalusia. It becomes part of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba.

title: 713

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 788)

title: 731

section: Religion & Belief

text: Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (Al-Andalus), begins the construction of the Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque of Córdoba. He uses the mosque (originally called Aljama Mosque) as an adjunct to his palace, and names it in honour of his wife.

title: 784

text: Emir Hisham I of Córdoba calls for a jihad ("Holy War") against the Christian Franks. He assembles an army of 70,000 men, half of which attacks the Kingdom of Asturias, destroying its capital, Oviedo, while the other half invades Languedoc, penetrating as far as Narbonne. After capturing the city, the contingent moves towards Carcassonne and conquers it too. Both armies return to Córdoba enriched with the spoils of war.

title: 793

text: Muhammad I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 886)

title: 823

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Iñigo Arista revolts against the Frankish Empire, and establishes the Kingdom of Pamplona, with the support of the Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 824

section: Events › By place › Europe

section: Deaths

text: Muhammad I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (b. 823)

title: 886

date: October 16

text: October 16 – Abd al-Rahman III succeeds his grandfather Abdullah ibn Muhammad (after his execution) and becomes emir of Córdoba (Al-Andalus).

title: 912

date: January 16

text: January 16 – Emir Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba, Spain, proclaims himself caliph and creates the Caliphate of Córdoba. He breaks his allegiance to, and ties with, the Fatimid and Abbasid caliphs.

title: 929

text: The Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba invades and conquers the city of Ceuta, which was ruled by the Berber dynasty Banu Isam.

title: 931

section: Events › By place › North Africa

text: Fatimid forces fail to seize the Maghreb al-Aqsa (modern Morocco) from the local Berber tribes allied to the Iberia-based Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 933

section: Events › By place › Africa

text: Summer – Caliph Abd-al-Rahman III invades Navarra and forces Queen Toda to submit to him. Her son the 15-year-old King García Sánchez I becomes a vassal of the Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 934

text: Abu Yazid, a Kharijite Berber leader, launches a rebellion in the Aurès Mountains (modern Algeria) against the Fatamids, seeking aid from the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus.

title: 944

text: Caliph Abd-al-Rahman III occupies the palace of Medina Azahara (called "the shining city") as the new capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba (modern Spain).

title: 945

text: Abd al-Rahman III the Caliph of Córdoba declares Jihad, preparing a large army & conquers the city of Lugo in the extreme North of Iberia. This raid shows to be one of the furthest raids Muslims in Spain ever conducted, done as a show of strength of the Muslim State in Al-Andalus.

title: 949

text: Summer – Siege of Chandax: A Byzantine fleet with an expeditionary force (comprising about 50,000 men) under Nikephoros Phokas lands on Crete. Nikephoros defeats the Muslim resistance and begins a siege at the capital of Chandax. He decides to blockade the city for the winter, while his engineers begin to construct siege engines. Emir Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb sends for aid by the Fatimids in Ifriqiya and the Caliphate of Córdoba (modern Spain).

title: 960

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

date: October 15

text: October 15 – Caliph Abd-al-Rahman III dies after a 32-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Hakam II as ruler of the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain).

title: 961

text: October 15 – Abd al-Rahman III, caliph of Córdoba

title: 961

text: Hisham II, caliph of Córdoba (Spain) (d. 1013)

title: 966

text: Hisham III, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (d. 1036)

title: 973

text: An offensive, by the Spain-based Caliphate of Córdoba brings the Maghrebi Idrisid Dynasty to an end. Caliph Al-Hakam II maintains the supremacy of the caliphate over the kingdoms of Navarra, Castile and León.

title: 974

text: October 16 – Caliph Al-Hakam II dies after a 15-year reign in which he has ended the Fatimid Caliphate in Morocco and made the University of Córdoba the greatest institution in the world. Al-Hakam is succeeded by his 10-year-old son Hisham II as ruler of the Caliphate of Córdoba. His widow Subh becomes regent together with Almanzor the de facto rulers.

title: 976

text: Almanzor, a court official and regent of Córdoba, becomes a chamberlain (hajib) and seizes power from the 13-year-old Caliph Hisham II. During his reign, Almanzor will exercise strong influence over Subh (the mother of Hisham) and wages successful campaigns against the Christian kingdoms in Northern Spain.

title: 978

text: Al-Mansur, Chancellor and effective ruler of Al-Andalus, conquers the Castle of Montemor-o-Velho (modern Portugal), expanding the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 990

date: August 8

text: August 8 – Al-Mansur dies after a 24-year reign and is succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar as ruler (hajib) of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (modern Spain).

title: 1002

text: Battle of Albesa: Muslim forces of the Caliphate of Cordoba defeat the northern Christian armies of León, Pamplona and Castile.

title: 1003

date: March 20

text: March 20 – Abu Rakwa, Andalusian Umayyad prince

title: 1007

date: November 1

text: November 1 – Berber forces led by Sulayman ibn al-Hakam defeat the Umayyad caliph Muhammad II in the battle of Alcolea. He enters the city of Córdoba, which is sacked by Berbers and Castillans. Sulayman is elected as caliph of the Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 1009

date: June 2

text: June 2 – Fitna of al-Andalus – Battle of Aqbat al-Bakr: The Caliphate of Córdoba is defeated. Allied to Muslim rebels, Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona sacks Córdoba, and Hisham II the Nephast is restored as Umayyad caliph of Córdoba, succeeding Muhammad II al-Mahdi.

title: 1010

text: Sulayman ibn al-Hakam reconquers the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and deposes Hisham II. Sulayman becomes the fifth Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (until 1016).

title: 1013

date: April 19

text: April 19 – Hisham II, caliph of Córdoba (Spain) (b. 966)

title: 1013

text: Sulayman ibn al-Hakam, caliph of Córdoba

title: 1016

date: March 22

text: March 22 – Ali ibn Hammud al-Nasir, caliph of Córdoba

title: 1018

text: Abd al-Aziz al-Mansur, a grandson of the prominent Andalusian figure Almanzor begins his rule in Taifa of Valencia, a Moorish kingdom in Al-Andalus (modern Spain), ushering in a period of relative stability and prosperity that will last until 1061. Taifa of Valencia gained its independence from the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1010.

title: 1021

text: The Judge-Governor of Seville in Al-Andalus (modern Spain) takes advantage of the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba and seizes power as Abbad I, founding the Abbadid dynasty.

title: 1023

date: December 2

text: December 2 – Abd al-Rahman V becomes the Muslim Caliph of Córdoba in what is now most of the southern two-thirds of Spain and Portugal by overthrowing Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun, but only serves for six weeks until his assassination by Muhammad III.

title: 1023

section: Events › October–December

date: February 12

text: February 12 – (18 Dhu-I-qa'da 413 AH) In Spain, Al-Ma'mun al-Qāsim ibn Ḥammud returns to Córdoba to become the new Emir, after the Emir Yaḥya ibn ʿAli ibn Ḥammud al-Muʿtali bi-llāh leaves the city and moves to Málaga. Al-Qasim reigns for 10 months before being forced out by Abd al-Rahman V.

title: 1023

section: Events › January–March

text: Abd ar-Rahman V, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba

title: 1024

text: The Caliphate of Córdoba collapses after years of infighting; the caliphate fractures into a number of independent Muslim taifa (kingdoms). The last Umayyad ruler, Caliph Hisham III, tries to consolidate the caliphate, but his raising of taxes (to pay for mosques) leads to heavy opposition and he is imprisoned by his rivals.

title: 1031

text: Hisham III, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (b. 973)

title: 1036


slug: calligraphy

label: Calligraphy

description: visual art related to writing

text: Wei Shuo (or Mouyi), Chinese calligrapher (d. 349)

title: 272

text: Wei Shuo, calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty (b. 272)

title: 349

text: Wang Xizhi, Chinese calligrapher, produces "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" in running script style. It becomes a model for future calligraphers.

title: 353

section: Events › By topic › China

text: Yu Shinan, calligrapher and official (d. 638)

title: 558

text: Yu Shinan, calligrapher and official (b. 558)

title: 638

text: Ouyang Xun, Confucian scholar and calligrapher (b. 557)

title: 641

text: Tachibana no Hayanari, Japanese calligrapher (d. 844)

title: 782

text: Martianus Hiberniensis, Irish monk and calligrapher (d. 875)

title: 819

text: Martianus Hiberniensis, Irish monk and calligrapher (b. 819)

title: 875

text: Ono no Michikaze, Japanese calligrapher (d. 966)

title: 894

text: Ch'oe Ŏn-wi, Korean minister and calligrapher (b. 868)

title: 944

date: February 9

text: February 9 – Ono no Michikaze (Ono no Tōfū), Japanese calligrapher, dies after having established the foundations of the 'Waystyle' of calligraphy while serving the imperial court at Heian-kyō (modern-day Kyoto).

title: 966

section: Events › Asia

text: February 9 – Ono no Michikaze, Japanese calligrapher (b. 894)

title: 966

text: Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (d. 1027)

title: 972

text: Guo Zhongshu, Chinese painter and calligrapher

title: 977

text: Cai Xiang, Chinese calligrapher, official and poet (d. 1067)

title: 1012

date: January 3

text: January 3 – Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (b. 972)

title: 1027

text: Fujiwara no Sadazane, Japanese calligrapher (d. 1120)

title: 1076

text: Fakhr-un-Nisa, Arab scholar and calligrapher

title: 1112

text: Fujiwara no Sadazane, Japanese calligrapher (b. 1076)

title: 1120


slug: cambodia

label: Cambodia

description: country in Southeast Asia

year_label: 68 CE

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Kingdom of Funan is established in the Mekong Delta comprising present-day Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, Southern Thailand and Eastern Thailand, the first known civilization in Southeast Asia. The capital city is Vyadhapura or modern-day Ba Phnum District in Cambodia.

title: AD 68

section: Events › By place › Asia

year_label: 78 CE

section: Culture & Society

text: This is the base year (year zero) of the Saka era used by some Hindu calendars, the Indian national calendar, and the Cambodian Buddhist calendar. It begins near the vernal equinox for the civil solar calendar, but begins opposite the star Spica for the traditional solar calendar.

title: AD 78

date: June 23

text: June 23 – Chinese warlord Sun Quan formally declares himself emperor of the Eastern Wu state. The city of Jianye (modern Nanjing) is founded as the capital of Eastern Wu. The independent kingdoms in Cambodia and Laos become Eastern Wu vassals.

title: 229

section: Events › By place › China

text: Jayavarman, king of Funan (Cambodia)

title: 514

text: Bhavavarman I, king of Cambodia

title: 600

text: Isanapura becomes the capital of the Cambodian kingdom of Chenla (approximate date).

title: 613

text: Jayavarman I, king of Chenla (Cambodia)

title: 681

text: Cambodia begins to break away from the Sumatra-based kingdom Srivijaya, as a 20-year-old Cambodian prince, who claims descent from the rulers of Funan, is consecrated in eastern Cambodia with the title Jayavarman II. In the next 10 years he will extend his powers north into the Mekong Valley (modern Vietnam).

title: 790

text: Prince Jayavarman declares the Khmer Empire (modern-day Cambodia) independent, and establishes the kingdom of Angkor. He is reconsecrated as a world ruler (chakravartin), or god-king (devaraja), under Hindu rites.

title: 802

text: Jayavarman III, king of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia)

title: 877

text: King Jayavarman III dies after a 42-year reign. He is succeeded by his cousin Indravarman I, as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 877

text: Bakong, the first temple mountain of sandstone, is constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia) at Angkor.

title: 881

text: Indravarman I, ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia), dies and is succeeded by his son Yasovarman I, called the Leper King (or 890).

title: 889

text: King Yasovarman I (called the Leper King) of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia) dedicates the Lolei Temple of the Roluos group to the god Shiva and the royal family.

title: 893

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Harshavarman I, king of Angkor (Cambodia)

title: 923

text: Ishanavarman II dies after a 5-year reign and is succeeded by his uncle Jayavarman IV as king of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia). He moves the capital north from Angkor to Koh Ker.

title: 928

text: Jayavarman IV, Angkorian king (Cambodia)

title: 941

date: April 22

text: April 22 – The Cambodian temple Banteay Srei is consecrated and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

title: 967

text: King Suryavarman II begins his reign as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1113

text: The temple at Angkor Wat ("Capital of Temples") is completed in the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1150

text: Jayavarman VII defeats the Chams and assumes control over the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1181

section: Events › Europe › Asia

text: Jayavarman VII, the king of Cambodia, founds the temple of Ta Prohm.

title: 1186

section: Events

section: Conflict & Security

text: Mongol forces invade the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia). King Jayavarman VIII decides to pay tribute rather than fight the invasion, buying peace and preserving the empire.

title: 1283

text: King Jayavarman VIII is overthrown after a 52-year reign. He is succeeded by his son-in-law Indravarman III as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1295

text: The Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom conquers Cambodia for a second time.

title: 1369

section: Events › Dates unknown

text: Kalamegha claims the vacant title of King of Cambodia after the power of the Thai invaders from Ayutthaya begins to weaken. The Ayutthayans are finally expelled in 1375.

title: 1371

text: Narayana Ramadhipati succeeds Ponthea Yat as King of Cambodia.

title: 1404

date: July 3

text: July 3 – The Ayutthayan–Cambodian War (1591–1594) concludes when Naresuan, ruler of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, sacks Longvek, capital of Cambodia.

title: 1594

section: Events › July–September

date: July 15

text: July 15 – France declares Cambodia's independence from Siam; Cambodia becomes a protectorate of France and Britain.

title: 1867

section: Events › July

date: May 9

text: May 9 – France agrees to the provisional independence of Cambodia, with King Norodom Sihanouk.

title: 1953

section: Events › May

date: August 1

text: August 1 – The First Indochina War ends with the Vietnam People's Army in North Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Army in South Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia in Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos in Laos, emerging victorious against the French Army.

title: 1954

section: Events › August

date: November 11

text: November 11 – Vietnam War: In a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 3 United States prisoners of war are released by the Viet Cong and turned over to American "New Left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden.

title: 1967

date: November 3

text: November 3 – Vietnam War – Battle of Dak To: Around Đắk Tô (located about 280 miles north of Saigon near the Cambodian border), heavy casualties are suffered on both sides; U.S. troops narrowly win the battle on November 22.

title: 1967

section: Health & Medicine

date: September 1

text: September 1 – The Khmer–Chinese Friendship Association is banned in Cambodia.

title: 1967

section: Events › September

date: April 29

text: April 29 – Cambodian campaign: The U.S. incursion into Cambodia begins.

title: 1970

section: Events › April

date: March 18

text: March 18 – General Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and holds Queen Sisowath Kossamak under house arrest.

title: 1970

section: Events › March

date: October 9

text: October 9 – The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia, escalating the Cambodian Civil War between the government and the Khmer Rouge.

title: 1970

section: Events › October

date: April 20

text: April 20 – Cambodian prime minister Lon Nol resigns but remains effectively in power until the next elections.

title: 1971

date: November 10

text: November 10 – Cambodian Civil War: In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging 9 airplanes.

title: 1971

date: August 15

text: August 15 – The U.S. bombing of Cambodia ends, officially halting 12 years of combat activity in Southeast Asia according to the Case–Church Amendment-an act that prohibits military operations in Laos, Cambodia, and North and South Vietnam as a follow-up of the Paris Peace Accords.

title: 1973

text: April 30 – The Cold War between Cambodia and Vietnam evolves into the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.

title: 1977

text: December 25 – Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.

title: 1978

text: April 30 – Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), bringing the total members to 10.

title: 1999

text: October 4 – The death toll from the flooding of Cambodia's Mekong river and attendant flash floods reaches 207.

title: 2011

text: January 1 – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

title: 2022

text: July 24 – Armed conflicts break out between Cambodia and Thailand after the escalation of a border dispute. At least 39 people are killed and more than 100,000 displaced due to the conflicts.

title: 2025


slug: cambridge-massachusetts

label: Cambridge, Massachusetts

description: city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America

text: c. January – The first printing press in British North America is started in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Stephen Daye.

title: 1639

section: Events › January–March

section: Religion & Belief

text: Publication at Cambridge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the "Eliot Indian Bible" (Mamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum God), which becomes the first complete Bible published in the Americas, a translation by English-born Puritan missionary John Eliot of the Geneva Bible, from English into the Massachusett language (Natic or Wômpanâak) variety of the Algonquian languages.

title: 1663

section: Events › Date unknown

date: May 31

text: May 31 – The Massachusetts Council finally decides to move the Christian Indians from Deer Island to Cambridge, Massachusetts (approximate date).

title: 1676

section: Events › April–June

section: Climate & Environment

date: July 8

text: July 8 – The first documented tornado in America kills a servant at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

title: 1680

date: December 5

text: December 5 – American Revolution: Henry Knox begins his journey to Cambridge, Massachusetts with the artillery that has been captured from Fort Ticonderoga.

title: 1775

section: Events › July–December

date: June 4

text: June 4 – Two American colleges play each other in arguably the first game of college football: Tufts University and Harvard University at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

title: 1875

section: Events › June

date: February

text: February–March – The Harvard Lampoon humor magazine is founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

title: 1876

section: Events › February

section: Science & Discovery

date: October 11

text: October 11 – The orbit of the last stage of the R-7 Semyorka rocket (carrying Sputnik I) is first successfully calculated on an IBM 704 computer at the MIT Computation Center as part of Operation Moonwatch, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

title: 1957


slug: cameroon

label: Cameroon

description: sovereign state in West-Central Africa

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: An extensive slave trade begins in modern Cameroon as the Portuguese sail up the Wouri River and Fernão do Po claims the central-African islands Bioko and Annobón for Portugal.

title: 1472

section: Events › Undated

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: July 14

text: July 14 – German administration is established in Cameroon.

title: 1884

section: Events › July

date: October 1

text: October 1 – Unification Day (Cameroon): The formerly British Southern Cameroons gains independence from the United Kingdom by vote of the UN General Assembly and joins with formerly French Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

title: 1961

date: November 6

text: November 6 – Paul Biya becomes the second president of Cameroon following the resignation of Ahmadou Ahidjo.

title: 1982

section: Events › November

date: August 21

text: August 21 – The Lake Nyos disaster, a limnic eruption, occurs in Cameroon, killing nearly 2,000 people.

title: 1986

date: March 29

text: March 29 – A hybrid solar eclipse is the second hybrid solar eclipse in less than one year, the first being on October 3, 1986. It is annular visible in southern Argentina, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan (part of the path of annularity crossed today's South Sudan), Ethiopia, Djibouti and northern Somalia and totally visible in Atlantic Ocean, lasting just 7.57 seconds.

title: 1987

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: August 30

text: August 30 – At least five people are killed and 275 injured in a train crash near Yaoundé, Cameroon. (BBC) (Press TV)

title: 2009

section: Culture & Society

date: January 9

text: January 9 – February 6 – The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is held in Cameroon, with Senegal winning their first championship.

title: 2022

section: Events › January


slug: campania

label: Campania

description: region in Southern Italy

year_label: 474 BCE

section: Conflict & Security

text: Hiero I, tyrant of Syracuse, allied with naval forces from the maritime Greek cities of southern Italy defeats the Etruscan navy in the Battle of Cumae as the Etruscans try to capture the Greek city of Cumae. This victory marks the end of the Etruscan aggression against the Greeks in southern Italy and saves the Greeks of Campania from Etruscan domination.

title: 474 BC

section: Events › By place › Italy

year_label: 428 BCE

text: The Greek colony of Cumae in Italy falls to the Samnites, who begin to take control of the Campanian plain.

title: 428 BC

year_label: 335 BCE

text: Cales (modern Calvi), a city in Campania, is taken by the Romans and a Roman colony is established there.

title: 335 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 314 BCE

text: While the consuls are fighting the Samnites at Tarracina, the Romans elect Gaius Maenius as Dictator with Marcus Foslius Flaccinator as his Magister Equitum (Master-of-Horse, Second-in-Command) and send them into Campania at the head of a large army. When Maenius and Foslius arrive near Capua, the Campanians, hearing about the defeat of the Samnites at Tarracina, start negotiating terms with the Romans; they surrender those who are guilty of the uprising and in turn are reinstated in their alliance with Rome.

title: 314 BC

text: Success seems to be going the Samnites' way in their ongoing battles against the Romans. Campania is on the verge of deserting Rome. Peace is established between Rome and some Samnite towns.

title: 314 BC

year_label: 304 BCE

text: The second Samnite war formally ends with a peace agreement in which the Samnites obtain peace on terms that are severe but not as crushing as those agreed by the Romans with the Etruscans four years earlier. Under the peace, Rome gains no territory, but the Samnites renounce their hegemony over Campania. Rome is also successful in ending the revolts amongst the tribes surrounding Roman territory.

title: 304 BC

year_label: 269 BCE

text: The Mamertines, a body of Campanian mercenaries who have been employed by Agathocles, the former tyrant of Syracuse, capture the stronghold of Messana (Messina in north-eastern Sicily), from which they harass the Syracusans. The Syracusan military leader, Hieron, defeats them in a pitched battle at the Longanus River near Mylae, but Carthaginian forces intervene to prevent him from capturing Messana. His grateful countrymen then choose Hieron as their king and tyrant, to be known as Hieron II.

title: 269 BC

section: Events › By place › Sicily

year_label: 217 BCE

text: Hannibal ravages Apulia and Campania; meanwhile the delaying tactics of Quintus Fabius Maximus' army allows only skirmishes to occur between the two armies.

title: 217 BC

year_label: 216 BCE

text: After the defeat at Cannae, Roman general, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, commands the remnants of the Roman army at Canusium and saves the city of Nola and southern Campania from occupation by Hannibal.

title: 216 BC

year_label: 185 BCE

text: The Roman general Scipio Africanus and his brother Lucius are accused by Cato the Elder and his supporters of having received bribes from the late Seleucid king Antiochus III. Scipio defies his accusers, reminds the Romans of their debt to him, and retires to his country house at Liternum in Campania. However, Cato is successful in breaking the political influence of Lucius Scipio and Scipio Africanus.

title: 185 BC

year_label: 183 BCE

section: Deaths

text: The Roman general Scipio Africanus dies at Liternum in Campania.

title: 183 BC

year_label: 134 BCE

text: Caius Fulvius Flaccus, as consul, is sent against the slaves. Uprising of 4,000 slaves crushed at Sinuessa, in Campania. Slave uprisings repressed in Attic silver mines and on the island of Delos.

title: 134 BC

year_label: 42 BCE

text: Octavian returns to Rome and arranges for ± 40,000 veterans' settlements in Campania, Etruria, Picenum, Samnium, Umbria, and in northern Italy.

title: 42 BC

year_label: 62 CE

text: A great earthquake damages cities in Campania, including Pompeii (February 5).

title: AD 62

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: Maximian retires from office, and leaves for Campania or Lucania (southern Italy), to live a life of ease in his luxury villas.

title: 305

section: Health & Medicine

text: An estimated 330,000 acres of farmland lie abandoned in Campania (southern Italy), partly as a consequence of malaria from mosquitoes bred in swampy areas, but mostly because imprudent agriculture has ruined the land.

title: 395

section: Events › By topic › Agriculture

date: May 8

text: May 8 – Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.

title: 413

text: Summer – The Vandals land in Campania, at the mouth of the Liri or the Garigliano River, and devastate the region. Majorian personally leads the Roman army and defeats the invaders near Sinuessa, destroying their ships on the seashore, loaded with booty.

title: 458

date: March 1

text: March 1 – During a synod in Rome, which is attended by 72 bishops and all of the Roman clergy, Pope Symmachus makes Antipope Laurentius bishop of the diocese of Nocera in Campania.

title: 499

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Siege of Naples: Totila besieges the city of Naples in Campania. A Byzantine relief force from Sicily is intercepted and almost destroyed by Gothic warships.

title: 542

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Battle of Mons Lactarius: King Teia secretly marches to join forces with his brother Aligern in Campania, to relieve the siege of Cumae. Meanwhile at Mons Lactarius (modern Monti Lattari), Narses lays an ambush. The combined Gothic force is crushed in a hopeless last stand for two days (south of Naples), and Teia is killed in the fighting. Aligern escapes, but surrenders a few months later.

title: 553

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: John VIII travels throughout Campania, in an effort to form an alliance among the southern Italian states (the cities of Salerno, Capua, Naples, Gaeta and Amalfi) against Muslim raids.

title: 876

text: Fall – The Arabs sack the abbey of Monte Cassino in two raids (September and November). The bulk of the monastic community flee to Teano (Campania).

title: 884

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: Spring – Atenulf I, Lombard prince of Capua, conquers the Duchy of Benevento. He deposes Duke Radelchis II and unites the two southern Lombard duchies in Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy). The Byzantines offer a strategic alliance to Atenulf who directs a campaign against the Saracens. They establish themselves on the banks of the Garigliano River. From here, Arab warbands launch frequent raids in Campania.

title: 900

text: Summer – The Hungarian army invades Northern Italy with the permission of King Hugh of Arles. They cross the Apennines, and sack the Lombard lands in Tuscany, Lazio and Campania. Finally, the Hungarians are defeated at Wolfenbüttel by a Saxon army.

title: 938

date: November

text: November – Otto arrives at Rome; Pope John XII and Adalbert II (co-ruler of Italy) flee to Campania, taking with them most of the Papal treasury. The Roman citizens warmly receive Otto as a 'liberator'.

title: 963

text: Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescentius II (the Younger) and his followers barricade themselves in Castel Sant'Angelo. Otto's former tutor John Philagathos (Antipope John XVI), who tries to escape into Campania, is pursued by German troops and captured. He is horribly mutilated – his ears, nose and tongue cut off and his eyes are gouged out. Crescentius surrenders at his stronghold and is beheaded. Otto reinstates his cousin, Gregory V, as pope of the Catholic Church.

title: 998

date: May

text: May – Frederick II arrives at Cyprus, where he attends the wedding proxy of the 12-year-old King Henry I (the Fat) to Alice of Montferrat – whose father is one of his staunch supporters in Italy. On June 10, Frederick lands at Brindisi, where the papal army under his father-in-law John of Brienne has invaded the Italian territories in Campania (→ War of the Keys).

title: 1229

section: Events › By place › Sixth Crusade

date: September 11

text: September 11 – The Conspiracy of the Barons, a revolt by the Neapolitan nobility, begins in the Kingdom of Naples with the rebels taking an oath at the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate in Campania against the rule of King Ferrante, the Spanish prince made King of Naples after the kingdom's conquest by the Crown of Aragon.

title: 1486

section: Events › July–September

text: Herculaneum, an ancient town in Ercolano, Campania, Italy and buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, is discovered by accident when attempts to drill a well for a monastery encountered marble and other materials.

title: 1709

date: July 26

text: July 26 – 1805 Molise earthquake: 5,573 people in Molise and Campania, Italy, are killed.

title: 1805

date: May 5

text: May 5–6 - landslides in Campania, Italy kill 161

title: 1998

section: Events › May


slug: canada

label: Canada

description: country in North America

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: March 15

text: March 15 – French explorer Samuel de Champlain departs from the Channel port of Honfleur in the Calvados département in the Kingdom of France for his first voyage to the settlement of New France in what is now Canada.

title: 1603

section: Events › January–March

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: March 27

text: March 27 – The first English child is born in what will become Canada at Cuper's Cove, Newfoundland to Nicholas Guy.

title: 1613

section: Climate & Environment

date: February 5

text: February 5 – An earthquake estimated at least 7.3 magnitude strikes Canada's Quebec Province.

title: 1663

date: May 2

text: May 2 – The Hudson's Bay Company is granted a royal charter in England with the jurisdiction to control administration and commerce in "Rupert's Land", governed for the crown by Rupert, Duke of Cumberland, the cousin of King Charles II. The land is a 1.5 million square mile area of what is now Canada around Hudson Bay. The area controlled covers all of the modern province of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, and significant portions of Alberta and Nunavut, as well as parts of what are now Ontario and Quebec, and parts of the U.S. states of Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana.

title: 1670

section: Events › April–June

date: September 8

text: September 8 – Seven Years' War: Jeffery Amherst and his British troops capture Montreal from the French, effectively bringing Canada completely under British control.

title: 1760

date: July 11

text: July 11 – Conditional repatriation of the Acadians in Canada, French colonists who took up arms against the British during the war, is approved by order of King George III on advice of the Privy Council. The Council offers settlement to any Acadians willing to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown and that those living in New Brunswick are to "be allowed to settle in Nova Scotia, but that they should be dispersed in small numbers in various localities."

title: 1764

section: Economy & Finance

date: May 17

text: May 17 – American Revolution: The Continental Congress bans trade with Canada.

title: 1775

section: Events › January–June

section: Science & Discovery

date: July 28

text: July 28 – Total solar eclipse visible in Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Northern Europe, the first solar eclipse to be photographed.

title: 1851

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: July 1

text: July 1 – Canadian Confederation: The British North America Act of 29 March comes into force, creating the Dominion of Canada, the first independent dominion in the British Empire.

title: 1867

section: Events › July

date: July 20

text: July 20 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.

title: 1871

text: May 5 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada, to avoid harassment by the U.S. Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.

title: 1877

date: January 12

text: January 12 – Canada brings suit before the United States Supreme Court in re seizures of vessels in the Bering Sea.

title: 1891

date: April 27

text: April 27 – Canada's largest known landslide occurs in Saint-Alban, Quebec, displacing 185 e6m3 of rock and dirt, and leaving a 40 m scar that covers 4.6 e6m2 .

title: 1894

section: Events › April

date: June 28

text: June 28 – The International Railway (New York–Ontario) switches to one-man crews for its trolleys in Canada.

title: 1928

section: Events › June

date: December 11

text: December 11 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand and the Union of South Africa.

title: 1931

section: Events › December

date: July 5

text: July 5 – WWII: Operation Fish – A British convoy including HMS Batory sails from Greenock (Scotland) for Halifax, Nova Scotia, carrying gold bar and other valuables worth $1.7 billion for safe keeping in Canada, the largest movement of wealth in history.

title: 1940

date: June 24

text: June 24 – WWII: Operation Fish – British Royal Navy cruiser sails from Greenock (Scotland) in convoy for Halifax, Nova Scotia (arriving July 1), carrying a large part of the gold reserves of the United Kingdom and securities for safe keeping in Canada.

title: 1940

date: October 24

text: October 24 – The United Nations is founded by ratification of its Charter, by 29 nations including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Canada, Egypt, Brazil, Haiti, Luxembourg, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and others.

title: 1945

section: Events › October

date: March 31

text: March 31 – The former British colony of Newfoundland joins Canada, as its 10th province.

title: 1949

section: Events › March

date: July 10

text: July 10 – A formal peace agreement between Canada and Germany is signed.

title: 1951

date: February 6

text: February 6 – Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the British Dominions: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon. The princess, who is on a visit to Kenya when she hears of the death of her father, King George VI, aged 56, takes the regnal name Elizabeth II.

title: 1952

section: Events › January–February

date: October 30

text: October 30 – Quebec independentists narrowly lose a referendum for a mandate to negotiate independence from Canada.

title: 1995

date: June 22

text: June 22 – The 2007 Ellie tornado becomes the only F5 tornado recorded under the use of the Fujita scale in Canada, reaching windspeeds up to 320 mph (510 km/h).

title: 2007

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: January 29

text: January 29 – A gunman opens fire at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, killing 6 and injuring 19 others.

title: 2017

date: March 14

text: March 14 – March 2017 North American blizzard: A major late-season blizzard affects the Northeastern United States, New England and Canada, dumping up to three feet of snow in the hardest hit areas.

title: 2017

section: Culture & Society

date: June 13

text: June 13 – FIFA awards hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

title: 2018

date: June 8

text: June 8–9 – The 44th G7 summit is held in Canada. President Trump pushes for the reinstatement of the G8 (to include Russia). He also proposes the elimination of tariffs.

title: 2018

date: May 20

text: May 20 – The 2018 Venezuelan presidential election was held with incumbent President Nicolás Maduro reelected with 67.8% of the vote and the lowest turnout in Venezuela's modern democratic history since the 1958 coup d'état. The elections were denounced as a "sham" by several Latin American countries, the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and the European Union.

title: 2018

date: May 31

text: May 31 – The U.S. announces that it will extend its tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminium (10%) to include the EU, Mexico and Canada, starting at midnight.

title: 2018

date: December 6

text: December 6 – The United States announces a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in response to China's human rights record. Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia join shortly after.

title: 2021

date: January 15

text: January 15 – A large eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai, a submarine volcano in Tonga, triggers tsunami warnings in Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United States.

title: 2022

date: June 14

text: June 14 – Canada and Denmark end their competing claims for Hans Island by dividing the island roughly in half, ending what was referred to as the Whisky War.

title: 2022

date: May 24

text: May 24 – Canada and Saudi Arabia agree to restore full diplomatic relations after a breakdown in relations in 2018 over the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.

title: 2023

text: September 21 – The UK, Canada, and Australia announce their formal recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, with France also doing so the next day.

title: 2025


slug: canary-islands

label: Canary Islands

description: autonomous community of Spain, and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Conquest of the Canary Islands: King Henry III of Castile sends French explorer Jean de Béthencourt to colonize the Canary Islands. Béthencourt receives the title King of the Canary Islands but recognizes Henry as his overlord.

title: 1402

section: Events › Date unknown

section: Religion & Belief

date: September 29

text: September 29 – Pope Eugene IV issues the papal bull Regimini gregis, condemning the enslavement by the Kingdom of Castile of the Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands. An order to free the slaves follows three months later.

title: 1434

section: Events › July–September

date: May 28

text: May 28 – Captain Juan Rejón of Aragon, charged with leading the conquest of the Canary Islands for the Spanish crown, departs with 600 men on three ships from the El Puerto de Santa María, at the time part of the Kingdom of Seville.

title: 1478

date: February 4

text: February 4 – Pedro de Vera is appointed as the colonial Governor of Gran Canaria by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, and directed to carry out the conquest of the Canary Islands and to end the fighting between the conquistadors who had taken the island in 1478.

title: 1480

section: Events › January–March

date: March 6

text: March 6 – The Treaty of Toledo is signed as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain recognize the African conquests of Afonso V of Portugal, and he cedes the Canary Islands to Spain.

title: 1480

date: June 21

text: June 21 – The papal bull Aeterni Regis grants Portugal first option to all newly conquered African and Asian lands south of the Canary Islands to Portugal.

title: 1481

section: Conflict & Security

date: April 29

text: April 29 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands, is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile, a very important step in the expansion of Spain. Of 4,000 Castilian troops, 800 are killed and 1,600 others are taken as prisoners of war.

title: 1483

date: May 3

text: May 3 – In the Canary Islands, the Spanish conquistador Alonso Fernandez de Lugo finishes the conquest of the island of La Palma by capturing Tanausu, King of the native Guanches.

title: 1492

section: Events › April—June

date: September 6

text: September 6 – Christopher Columbus sails from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, his final port of call before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

title: 1492

section: Events › July—September

date: December 25

text: December 25 – Second Battle of Acentejo: The Spanish crush the native forces of the island of Tenerife, leading to the subjugation of this last bastion of resistance in the Canary Islands.

title: 1494

section: Events › October–December

date: July 5

text: July 5 – In the Canary Islands, the native kings of Tenerife surrender to the Spanish conquistador Alonso Fernández de Lugo.

title: 1496

date: November 6

text: November 6 – A British attempt to conquer the Canary Islands fails when a fleet of 12 Royal Navy warships, commanded by Admiral John Jennings is forced to retreat after being met by a heavy artillery attack while sailing into Santa Cruz Bay

title: 1706

date: February 14

text: February 14 – King Philip V of Spain issues a royal cedula, directing an effort to offer incentives to families from the Canary Islands for settlements in New Spain north of the Rio Grande in the modern-day U.S. state of Texas (→ Canarian Americans).

title: 1729

date: September 1

text: September 1 – A volcano erupts on Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands and threatens the Spanish inhabitants. On Gran Canaria, the regent of the islands reports to Madrid that the flames are visible even from 130 mi away.

title: 1730

date: October 19

text: October 19 – Alain Bombard begins to sail from the Canary Islands to Barbados in 65 days without using provisions; he reaches them December 23.

title: 1952

section: Events › September–October

date: March 27

text: March 27 – Tenerife disaster: A collision between KLM and Pan Am Boeing 747s at Tenerife, Canary Islands, kills 583 people. This becomes the deadliest accident in aviation history.

title: 1977

date: December 3

text: December 3 – After rowing for 81 days and 5,486 kilometers (2,962 nautical miles), Tori Murden becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by rowboat alone, when she reaches Guadeloupe from the Canary Islands.

title: 1999

date: August 10

text: August 10–25 – 2019 Canary Islands wildfires: A number of forest fires break out in the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. The fires on the island of Gran Canaria were the most severe, resulting in the loss of large areas of the island's forests and leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents from a number of towns and villages.

title: 2019

section: Events › August

section: Deaths

date: October 29

text: October 29 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirms the death of at least 140 migrants who drowned off the coast of Senegal on a vessel bound for the Spanish Canary Islands, making it the deadliest shipwreck of 2020.

title: 2020


slug: canonization

label: Canonization

description: declaration that a deceased person is an officially recognized saint

section: Crime & Justice

date: September 15

text: September 15 – Ludmila, Bohemian duchess and widow of Bořivoj I, is murdered by her daughter-in-law Drahomíra at Tetín (modern Czech Republic). Ludmila will be canonised and become the patron saint of Bohemia and is venerated in the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches.

title: 921

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: July 4

text: July 4 – Pope John XV issues a decree canonizing the late Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg, the first recorded canonization of a saint.

title: 993

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: April 19

text: April 19 – King Canute IV of Denmark is canonized as a saint under the name San Canuto.

title: 1101

date: January 5

text: January 5 – Canonization of Edward the Confessor (d. 1066) in England.

title: 1161

date: January 25

text: January 25 – Richard of Chichester in England (d. 1253) is canonized as a saint; he is best known for authoring the prayer adapted into the song "Day by Day" in the musical Godspell (1971).

title: 1262

date: April 2

text: April 2 – In Rome, Pope Clement X canonizes Rose of Lima, making her the first Catholic saint of the Americas.

title: 1671

section: Events › April–June

date: July 1

text: July 1 – Oliver Plunkett, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, falsely convicted in June of treason, is hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, London, the last Catholic martyr to die in England; he is canonised in 1975.

title: 1681

date: October 16

text: October 16 – Lawrence Justinian (1381–1456) and John of Sahagún (c. 1430–79) are canonized by Pope Alexander VIII.

title: 1690

date: April 30

text: April 30 – Canonization of Polish Catholic sister Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated worldwide.

title: 2000

section: Events › April


slug: canterbury-cathedral

label: Canterbury Cathedral

description: cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, England, founded in 597

text: Æthelred II appoints Lyfing as archbishop of Canterbury in England. He restores Canterbury Cathedral, adding porticus towers and a massive westwork.

title: 1013

date: December 6

text: December 6 – A fire, the second in as many years, heavily damages Canterbury Cathedral in England.

title: 1067

text: The rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral in England following a fire begins.

title: 1070

section: Events

date: December 29

text: December 29 – Thomas Becket is assassinated by four knights (who believe themselves to be carrying out Henry II's wishes) in Canterbury Cathedral, after his refusal to be arrested for breaking his agreement with Henry II.

title: 1170

section: Events › By place › England

date: February 21

text: February 21 – Thomas Becket is canonized by Pope Alexander III. His tomb in Canterbury Cathedral becomes a shrine and a popular pilgrimage destination.

title: 1173

date: September 5

text: September 5 – Canterbury Cathedral is severely damaged in a fire.

title: 1174

section: Events › By place › Britain

date: January 14

text: January 14 – King Henry III marries the 14-year-old Eleanor of Provence, one of the four daughters of Raimond Berenguer, count of Provence. The ceremony takes place at Canterbury Cathedral, with Simon de Montfort, as Lord High Steward, takes care of the banquet and kitchen arrangements. Eleanor is crowned queen at Westminster Abbey shortly afterward.

title: 1236

date: March 30

text: March 30 – Canterbury Cathedral surrenders, and reverts to its previous status of 'a college of secular canons.

title: 1539

date: April 7

text: April 7– The English cathedral priories of Canterbury and Rochester are transformed into secular cathedral chapters on Easter Sunday, concluding the Dissolution of the monasteries.

title: 1540


slug: canterbury

label: Canterbury

description: cathedral city in Kent, England

year_label: 43 CE

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Romans capture a Brythonic settlement at Kent and rename it Durovernum Cantiacorum (modern Canterbury); and establish a Roman fort to guard the crossing of the Kentish River Stour.

title: 40s

section: Timeline › AD 43

section: Religion & Belief

text: Gregorian Mission: Augustine of Canterbury lands with a group of missionaries on the Isle of Thanet (South East England). He is welcomed by King Æthelberht of Kent, who accepts baptism along with the rest of his court at the behest of his Christian Frankish wife, Bertha. Æthelbert assigns Augustine and his 40 monks a residence at Canterbury (Kent), where they found a Benedictine monastery that will make the town a centre of Christianity (or 597).

title: 596

text: Gregorian Mission: Augustine of Canterbury lands with a group of missionaries on the Isle of Thanet (South East England). He is welcomed by King Æthelberht of Kent, who accepts baptism (along with the rest of his court) at the behest of his Christian Frankish wife, Bertha. Æthelbert assigns Augustine and his 40 monks a residence at Canterbury, where they found a Benedictine monastery that will make the town a centre of Christianity (or 596).

title: 597

text: St. Martin's Church is built in Canterbury, England (approximate date).

title: 650

date: September 19

text: September 19 – Theodore of Tarsus, age 88, dies at Canterbury. He is succeeded by Berhtwald as the 9th Archbishop of Canterbury (approximate date).

title: 690

text: Danish Viking raiders enter the Thames Estuary, and plunder Canterbury and London. They land at Wembury near Plymouth, but are defeated by Anglo-Saxon forces led by King Ethelwulf of Wessex. His eldest son Æthelstan of Kent, accompanied by Ealdorman Ealhhere, attacks a Viking fleet off the coast at Sandwich, and captures nine of the enemy vessels while the remainder flees.

title: 851

date: September 29

text: September 29 – Siege of Canterbury: Danish Viking raiders led by Thorkell the Tall pillage Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner.

title: 1011

date: December

text: December – William the Conqueror moves along the south coast to Dover, and builds fortifications in the existing castle at the top of the cliffs. He moves to Canterbury and finally enters London. Archbishop Stigand and other English leaders submit to William's rule. On December 25, he is crowned as King William I of England in Westminster Abbey over Edward the Confessor's grave.

title: 1066

section: Events › Europe › England and Scotland

section: Science & Discovery

date: June 18

text: June 18 – Five monks from Canterbury see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed.

title: 1178

section: Economy & Finance

text: William of Wrotham, Lord Warden of the Stannaries, oversees a reform of English currency. In keeping with other high-ranking bureaucrats of his time, this is just one of Wrotham's many offices. He is also "keeper of ports", the forerunner of the First Lord of the Admiralty, supervisor of the mints of Canterbury and London, ward of the vacant Diocese of Bath and Wells and archdeacon of Taunton.

title: 1205

date: April

text: April – Gilbert de Clare leads a massacre of the Jews at Canterbury, during the outbreak of the Second Barons' War. In the meantime, another of de Montfort's followers, John FitzJohn, leads a massacre against the Jews in London. The Jewish communities of Northampton, Winchester, Cambridge, and Lincoln are looted. The archæ (official chest of records) is destroyed or deposited at the headquarters of de Montfort's supporters at Ely.

title: 1264

section: Events › By place › British Isles

date: April 14

text: April 14 – Baron Badlesmere, another leader of the unsuccessful Contrariant attempt to overthrow King Edward II of England, is found guilty of treason at a trial in Canterbury. His death sentence is carried out later in the day.

title: 1322

section: Events › April – June

text: Huguenots increasingly immigrate to the English county of Kent, especially Canterbury, from France.

title: 1547

section: Events › Date unknown

text: June 18 – Mass executions by burning at the stake resume in England for Protestants convicted of heresy under the law of England's Catholic ruler, Queen Mary I. On the first day, four women and three men are put to death at Maidstone at Kent. The next day, at Canterbury, another seven prisoners are burned. On June 22, ten more people (six men and four women) burn at the stake at Lewes at Sussex. In all, 24 people (12 men and 12 women) are killed in a five-day period

title: 1557

date: August 7

text: August 7 – William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury, has his coach attacked by an angry mob on his first official visit to Canterbury because of his opposition to the Reform Act in the United Kingdom.

title: 1832

section: Events › July–September


slug: canton-of-bern

label: Canton of Bern

description: canton of Switzerland

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: March 3

text: March 3 – Bern signs an alliance with the Old Swiss Confederacy.

title: 1353

section: Events › January–December

section: Conflict & Security

date: April 25

text: April 25 – Representatives of the Swiss cantons of Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden begin negotiations in Zurich with the Canton of Bern in an attempt to prevent the breakup of the Swiss Confederation. The negotiations soon fail.

title: 1419

date: January 25

text: January 25 – The civil war in Switzerland, which has pitted the cantons of Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden, supporting rebels in Valais against the Baron of Valais and against the Canton of Bern, is ended by the signing of a treaty at the neutral town of Zug, after mediation by Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy.

title: 1420

section: Events › January–March

date: March 17

text: March 17 – The Swiss Canton of Bern intervenes to block an agreement between the Canton of Zürich that would have ceded the town of Grüningen to the Habsburg family of Germany.

title: 1441

date: October 13

text: October 13 – The Swiss Confederacy Canton of Bern invades the Canton of Vaud, at the time under the control of Jacques of Savoy, one of the nobles in the Duchy of Savoy.

title: 1475

section: Events › October–December

date: March 2

text: March 2 – In retaliation for the massacre of the Swiss defenders of the Grandson Castle, troops from the Canton of Bern and the Old Swiss Confederacy defeat the Burgundian troops of Charles the Bold and force him to flee.

title: 1476

date: January 26

text: January 26 – The Canton of Bern becomes the second in Switzerland to officially adopt Protestantism after 21-day debate, the Bern Disputation

title: 1528

text: TAG Heuer watchmaker founded in Bern Canton, Switzerland.

title: 1860

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: June 20

text: June 20 – The Wengernalpbahn railway in Wengen, Switzerland (Canton of Bern) is opened.

title: 1893

section: Events › June


slug: cao-cao

label: Cao Cao

description: Chinese warlord and statesman (155–220)

section: Births

text: Cao Cao, Chinese statesman and warlord (d. 220)

title: AD 155

date: December 30

text: December 30 – Lady Bian, wife of Cao Cao (d. 230)

title: AD 159

text: Cao Ang, Chinese warlord and son of Cao Cao (d.197)

title: AD 177

text: The Campaign against Dong Zhuo begins. During the Battle of Xingyang, Cao Cao's army is defeated by Dong Zhuo.

title: AD 190

section: Events › By place › China

section: Deaths

text: Cao Song (or Jugao), Chinese official and father of Cao Cao

title: AD 193

text: Battle of Yan Province: Warlords Cao Cao and Lü Bu fight for control over Yan Province; the battle lasts for over 100 days.

title: AD 194

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: The Xian Emperor returns to war-ravaged Luoyang and seeks the protection of warlord Cao Cao. He is advised to move the capital to Xuchang; the emperor becomes a pawn in the hands of the Chinese warlords.

title: AD 196

text: Cao Chong, son of Cao Cao (d. 208)

title: AD 196

text: Battle of Wancheng: Zhang Xiu launches a surprise attack at Cao Cao.

title: AD 197

text: Cao Ang (or Zixiu), eldest son of Cao Cao (b. 177)

title: AD 197

text: Winter – Battle of Xiapi: The allied armies led by Cao Cao and Liu Bei defeat Lü Bu; afterward Cao Cao has him executed.

title: AD 198

date: September

text: September-November - Battle of Guandu: Chinese warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival Yuan Shao.

title: AD 200

text: Battle of Cangting: Warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival, Yuan Shao.

title: 201

text: Battle of Bowang: Warlord Liu Bei defeats Cao Cao's forces under Xiahou Dun.

title: 202

text: Battle of Ye: Warlord Cao Cao lays siege to and captures the military headquarter of Yuan Shao in Ye.

title: 204

text: Ren Jun, Chinese general under Cao Cao

title: 204

text: Battle of Nanpi: Warlord Cao Cao defeats and kills Yuan Tan, the eldest son of his rival Yuan Shao.

title: 205

text: Battle of White Wolf Mountain: Warlord Cao Cao defeats the Wuhuan tribes, sending the Wuhuan into decline.

title: 207

text: Warlord Cao Cao marches south with his army, and captures the enemy fleet at Jiangling.

title: 208

date: January

text: January – Warlord Cao Cao writes Ràng Xiàn Zì Míng Běn Zhì Lìng (讓縣自明本志令)

title: 211

text: Cao Cao, the prime minister of the Han dynasty, is titled Wei Gong (Duke of Wei) and given a fief of ten cities under his domain. This later becomes the Kingdom of Wei.

title: 213

section: Events › By place › China (Han dynasty)

text: Battle of Xiaoyao Ford: General Zhang Liao under the command of Cao Cao beats back Sun Quan at Hefei.

title: 214

text: Cao Gan, Chinese prince and son of Cao Cao (d. 261)

title: 214

text: Zhang Cheng, Chinese official serving under Cao Cao

title: 215

text: Chinese warlord Cao Cao is made a vassal and ruler of Wei (Former Wei) by Emperor Xian, the last ruler of the Han Dynasty.

title: 216

text: Battle of Ruxu: Warlord Cao Cao once again clashes with his rival Sun Quan in Yang Province.

title: 217

text: Cao Cao controls the Yellow River basin and northern China. Sun Quan rules southern China. Liu Bei controls Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing).

title: 219

date: March 15

text: March 15 – Cao Cao, Imperial Chancellor and ruler of the Kingdom of Wei, dies.

title: 220

text: March 15 – Cao Cao, Chinese warlord of the Eastern Han dynasty (b. 155)

title: 220

text: Yu Jin, Chinese general serving under Cao Cao

title: 221

date: March 11

text: March 11 – Cao Lin, Chinese prince and son of Cao Cao

title: 256

text: Cao Jun (or Zi'an), Chinese prince and son of Cao Cao

title: 259


slug: cao-wei

label: Cao Wei

description: ancient Chinese state (220–265); one of the three major states in the Three Kingdoms period, with capital at Luoyang

text: January 26 – Lady Zhen, wife of the Cao Wei state Emperor Cao Pi (d. 221)

title: AD 183

text: Guo Nüwang, Chinese empress of the Cao Wei state (d. 235)

title: AD 184

text: Wang Xiang, Chinese minister of the Cao Wei state (d. 269)

title: AD 185

text: Cao Pi, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (d. 226)

title: AD 187

text: Wang Ji (or Boyu), Chinese general of the Cao Wei state (d. 261)

title: AD 190

text: Deng Ai, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state (d. 264)

title: AD 197

text: Cao Rui, Chinese emperor of Cao Wei (d. 239)

title: 204

title: 205

title: 213

title: 216

section: Religion & Belief

text: The Wei dynasty gives official recognition to Taoism as its religious sect, and the sect's celestial masters reciprocate, by giving spiritual approbation to the Wei as successors to the Han. By the end of the century, most powerful families in northern China have subscribed to Daoist principles.

title: 220

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: December 11

text: December 11 – Cao Pi receives the abdication of Emperor Xian of Han and proclaims himself emperor of Cao Wei. This ends the Han dynasty, the former emperor being created Duke of Shanyang.

title: 220

title: 220

text: Battle of Dongkou: The Chinese state of Cao Wei is defeated by Eastern Wu.

title: 223

section: Culture & Society

date: January 20

text: January 20 – (Huang'chu era, 4th year, 12th month and the bing'yin day) At the Cao Weis kingdom's capital at Xuchang, in what is now the Henan province of China, the Emperor Cao Pi issues a decree demoting the former Emperor Xian of Han to "Duke of Shanyang" and gives Xian's late daughter, Liu Man the posthumous title of "Princess of Changle"

title: 224

section: Events › China

text: c. February – May – Battle of Jieting: The Cao Wei Kingdom decisively defeats the Shu Han Kingdom.

title: 228

text: Cao Xiu, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state

title: 228

date: June

text: June –October – Battle of Shiting: The Eastern Wu Kingdom defeats the Cao Wei Kingdom.

title: 228

text: Cao Li, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state (b. 208)

title: 229

date: February

text: February – May – Battle of Jianwei: The state of Shu Han is victorious over the state of Cao Wei.

title: 229

text: Cao Xun, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state (d. 244)

title: 231

text: Cao Zhen, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state

title: 231

date: March

text: March – August – Battle of Mount Qi: The Chinese state of Shu Han gains a tactical victory, and the state of Cao Wei a strategic victory.

title: 231

text: Cao Fang, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (d. 274)

title: 232

date: June 13

text: June 13 – Cao Rui, Chinese imperial prince of the Cao Wei state

title: 233

text: Battle of Wuzhang Plains between the Chinese states of Shu Han and Cao Wei: The army of Shu Han retreats, following an inconclusive result.

title: 234

text: Sima Yi, a Chinese general of the Cao Wei state, destroys the outlying northeastern warlord Gongsun Yuan in the Liaodong campaign.

title: 238

text: Cao Fang succeeds his adoptive father Cao Rui as emperor of the Cao Wei state, in the Three Kingdoms period of China.

title: 239

section: Science & Discovery

text: Queen of Yamataikoku (Japan), Himiko was given Golden signature stamp by Cao Wei (China)

title: 239

text: Cao Mao, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state in the Three Kingdoms period (d. 260)

title: 241

text: Cao Hui, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state

title: 242

text: Battle of Xingshi: Shu Han defeats the Chinese state of Cao Wei.

title: 244

text: The Goguryeo–Wei War is fought between the Korean kingdom Goguryeo and the Chinese state Cao Wei.

title: 244

section: Events › By place › Korea

text: Cao Xun, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state (b. 231)

title: 244

text: Cao Huan, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (d. 303)

title: 246

text: Zhang Chunhua, wife of Sima Yi, regent of the Cao Wei state (b. 189)

title: 247

date: February 5

text: February 5 – Incident at Gaoping Tombs: In the Chinese state of Cao Wei, regent Sima Yi, in a coup d'état, forces his co-regent Cao Shuang to relinquish his power, after taking control of the capital city of Luoyang. Sima Yi issues a memorial, which lists the various crimes he and his associates has committed.

title: 249

text: February 5 – Cao Lin, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state

title: 251

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Ma Jun, Chinese mechanical engineer from Cao Wei, invents the south-pointing chariot, a path-finding directional compass vehicle that uses a differential gear, not magnetics.

title: 255

section: Events › By topic › Science

text: Peace and unity are finally restored in China, with the victories of the Wei Kingdom in the north. The ruling dynasty is worn out by war, and the kingdom is ruled by ministers on their behalf.

title: 256

text: Emperor Cao Mao of Former Wei state attempts to lead a coup against the powerful regent Sima Zhao, but he himself is killed before it comes to a confrontation.

title: 260

date: June 2

text: June 2 – Cao Mao, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (b. 241)

title: 260

text: Sima Zhao, regent of the Cao Wei state, receives and accepts the nine bestowments, state chancellorship, and the title Duke of Jin from Cao Huan.

title: 263

text: Conquest of Shu by Wei: The Chinese state of Cao Wei conquers Shu Han, one of its two rival states.

title: 263

text: Sima Zhao, regent of the Chinese state of Cao Wei, styles himself the "King of Jin", the penultimate step before usurpation.

title: 264

text: Guo (or Mingyuan), Chinese empress of the Cao Wei state

title: 264

text: Sima Zhao, who had been the regent and de facto primary authority of the state of Cao Wei for little over 10 years by this point, passes away, leaving his authority to his eldest son, Sima Yan, who will go on to disestablish the state of Cao Wei in February 266, founding the Jin dynasty.

title: 265

text: February 4 – Sima Yan, regent of the Chinese state of Cao Wei, forces the last Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan to abdicate in his favour. The Cao Wei state's existence comes to an end. Sima Yan establishes the Jin Dynasty, and becomes its first emperor on 8 February, and is historically known as "Wu of Jin". He establishes his capital at Luoyang, and gives his male relatives independent military commands throughout his empire.

title: 266

text: Cao Fang, deposed Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (b. 232)

title: 274

text: Cao Yu (or Pengzu), Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state (b. 211)

title: 278

text: Wei Guan, general of the Kingdom of Wei (b. 220)

title: 291

text: Cao Huan, Chinese emperor of the Cao Wei state (b. 246)

title: 302


slug: cape-colony

label: Cape Colony

description: Dutch and British colony in Southern Africa

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: August 14

text: August 14 – The United Kingdom formally annexes the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the southern Atlantic Ocean, ruling it from the Cape Colony.

title: 1816

section: Events › July–September

text: December 11 – The Sixth Xhosa War is characterized by severe clashes between white settlers and Bantu peoples in Cape Colony; Dutch-speaking settlers colonize the area north of Orange River.

title: 1834

section: Climate & Environment

date: April

text: April – The Xhosa cattle-killing movement and famine begins in Cape Colony.

title: 1856

section: Events › April–June

date: December 31

text: December 31 – Sir Henry Barkly is appointed Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa.

title: 1870

section: Events › December

date: December 1

text: December 1 – Responsible government is granted to Cape Colony (South Africa). Sir John Molteno, first Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope, forms the first Cape Cabinet which immediately plans to establish Cape Government Railways and take over the operation of all private railways in the Colony.

title: 1872

section: Conflict & Security

text: April – The government of Cape Colony sets a deadline for the Basuto people to surrender their weapons; non-compliance leads to the Basuto Gun War.

title: 1880

section: Events › April

date: December 15

text: December 15 – The railways of the Cape of Good Hope, Colony of Natal, the Orange Free State, the South African Republic and southern Mozambique are all linked at Union Junction near Alberton.

title: 1895

date: January 6

text: January 6 – Cecil Rhodes is forced to resign as Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope for his involvement in the Jameson Raid.

title: 1896

section: Events › January

date: June 26

text: June 26 – Joseph Chamberlain sets into motion the Second Boer War after receiving an appeal from the British Cape Colony in South Africa to help British subjects oppressed in the Transvaal Republic.

title: 1899

date: September 15

text: September 15 – Preparing for an attack on Britain's Cape Colony from the neighboring Transvaal Republic, Robert Baden-Powell arrives at the border town of Mafeking and begins recruiting volunteers and stockpiling munitions to prepare for an attack and siege.

title: 1899

section: Events › September


slug: cape-of-good-hope

label: Cape of Good Hope

description: headland of Cape Peninsula, South Africa

date: October 10

text: October 10 – King João II of Portugal appoints Bartolomeu Dias to lead an expedition to sail around what will be called the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of Africa, in the hope of finding a trade route to India.

title: 1486

section: Events › October–December

date: August

text: August – Bartolomeu Dias leaves Lisbon, on his voyage to the Cape of Good Hope.

title: 1487

date: February 4

text: February 4 – Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after his ships had been blown off course while sailing southeastward along Africa's coast in search of the Cape of Good Hope. After having turned northward, Dias realizes later that he had actually rounded the Cape and seen it from a distance as his ships were sailing westward to reach his prior position.

title: 1488

section: Events › January–March

date: March 12

text: March 12 – The Bartolomeu Dias expedition from Portugal arrives at the Cape of Good Hope and the crew of the two expedition ships, São Cristóvão and São Pantaleão, become the first Europeans to set foot at Good Hope. They anchor at the Boesmans River at what is now the South African city of Kwaaihoek. In that the landing took place on the feast day of Saint Gregory, the Portuguese sailors erect the Padrão de São Gregório, a stone pillar and cross, to mark their arrival.

title: 1488

date: November 22

text: November 22 – The Vasco da Gama expedition discovers the first sea route from Europe to India as he and his crew, on four ships, round the Cape of Good Hope.

title: 1497

date: May 29

text: May 29 – Traveling eastward from Brazil, Cabral and his fleet run into a storm off of the coast of Africa near the Cape of Good Hope and lose four of their 13 ships. Navigator Bartolomeu Dias is among the persons killed.

title: 1500

date: November 4

text: November 4 – Afonso de Albuquerque becomes the Viceroy of Portuguese India, replacing Francisco de Almeida, who departs five days later from Diu. Almeida never makes it home, getting killed along with his 64 men in a battle on March 1 with the local Khoekhoe people at South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

title: 1509

date: April 6

text: April 6 – Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope in modern-day South Africa, thus founding Cape Town.

title: 1652

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: April 28

text: April 28 – The Dutch East India Company ship Vergulde Draeck, with 193 crew aboard and a valuable cargo is wrecked off Ledge Point, Western Australia, with the loss of 118 members. Another 75 make it to shore, with limited provisions. The ship had been bound from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta in Indonesia).

title: 1656

text: December 31 – In response to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a group of Huguenots set sail from France, and settle in the recently established Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope, where, using their native skills, they establish the first South African vineyards.

title: 1687

text: February 5 – The ship Ridderschap van Holland is lost at sea, having departed the Cape of Good Hope with a crew of 300, with a destination of Batavia (modern-day Jakarta in Indonesia), normally a voyage of two months. It never arrives and is never seen again.

title: 1694

date: December 8

text: December 8 – King William III of England issues a proclamation of "our most gracious pardon unto all such pirates in the East Indies, viz., all eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, who shall surrender themselves for piracies or robberies committed by them upon sea or land" before April 30, 1699, to Captain Thomas Warren, but specifically "excepting Henry Every, alias Bridgman, and William Kidd.

title: 1698

date: January 18

text: January 18 – The Dutch East India Company cargo ship Fortuyn, on its maiden voyage, departs from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa after a layover of 16 days following its arrival from the Netherlands. With a crew of 225 commanded by Pieter Westrik, the ship departs for Batavia in the Dutch East Indies and is never seen again.

title: 1724

date: August 20

text: August 20 – French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, by way of the Foreign Minister, the Marquis de Puisieulx and Netherlands ambassador to Paris Mattheus Lestevenon, sends a letter that ultimately persuades the States-General of the Dutch Republic to allow and partially finance Lacaille's stellar trigonometry mission to the Cape of Good Hope. The expedition departs Lorient on October 21.

title: 1750

date: August 31

text: August 31 – British Army General David Baird departs from Cork, leading an expedition to capture the Cape of Good Hope. Their ship arrives on January 4.

title: 1805

date: August 13

text: August 13 – The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 is signed in London, returning most possessions of the Dutch Empire acquired by the United Kingdom since 1803 to the Netherlands, although Britain retains the Cape of Good Hope and the South American settlements of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice (later consolidated as British Guiana). In addition, the British cede the island of Banca off the island of Sumatra, in exchange for the settlement of Cochin, India.

title: 1814

date: March 14

text: March 14 – John Herschel discovers the open cluster of stars now known as NGC 3603, observing from the Cape of Good Hope.

title: 1834

text: Erasmus Jacobs discovers the 21.25 carat g Eureka Diamond near Hopetown on the banks of the Orange River in the Cape of Good Hope.

title: 1866

section: Events › Date unknown

date: April 11

text: April 11 – Aviator Bill Lancaster takes off from Lympne in England, in an attempt to make a speed record to the Cape of Good Hope, but vanishes (his body is not found in the Sahara Desert until 1962).

title: 1933

date: August 4

text: August 4 – The cruise liner MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, leading to the rescue of all 571 passengers on board by SAAF helicopters.

title: 1991

section: Events › August