Magellan's fleet of five ships leaves Seville on a voyage round the world (1519), and The Louvre opens to the public in Paris (1793). Born on this day: Herbert Hoover, Juan Manuel Santos and Antonio Banderas. Died: Jeffrey Epstein, Robert Goddard and Ferdinand VI.
32 events, 56 births and 54 deaths on this date.
Ferdinand Magellan sailed out with five vessels aiming to reach the Spice Islands by heading west. Magellan died in the Philippines before the journey ended, and Juan Sebastián Elcano brought the survivors home, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Unknown artist Unknown artist · Public domainThe Louvre opened its doors as a public museum on this day, showing 537 paintings, mostly seized from the royal family and the Church. Born from a former royal palace, it was a bold step toward sharing the nation's art with ordinary citizens.
Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY 2.5
The Doors' lead singer faced charges over alleged indecent exposure at the band's 1969 Miami concert, one of the incidents that made him a symbol of 1960s counterculture defiance. The case was one of several legal battles that followed his on-stage notoriety.
Elektra Records · Public domain
On this day the deposed king was taken into custody in Paris by revolutionaries who had stormed the Tuileries Palace. Louis and his family were held in the Temple prison, a step that pushed France toward abolishing the monarchy.
Antoine-François Callet · Public domain
Barnum launched his showman career by displaying Joice Heth, an elderly enslaved woman he falsely advertised as George Washington's former nursemaid. The exhibit was a hoax that foreshadowed the publicity stunts that would define his later museum and circus.
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) · Public domain
Manfred, an illegitimate son of the emperor Frederick II, was crowned king of Sicily. His father had spent much of his reign at odds with the papacy, and the Sicilian crown was a key part of that long struggle.
For the full day, download Chunks today. Every date, the stories behind them, and a new day each morning. Free to start.
Hoover was a mining engineer who organised food relief for occupied Belgium during the First World War, earning the nickname food dictator. He later became the 31st US president, but his struggling response to the Great Depression cost him re-election in 1932.
Underwood & Underwood · Public domain
Colombian economist and journalist who served as president from 2010 to 2018. He won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for ending his country's long conflict with the FARC guerrillas through negotiations.
File:Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Juan Manuel Santos.jpg : Image Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Juan Manuel Santos (Wilson Dias/ABr) derivative work: Coronades ( talk ) · CC BY 3.0 br
Spanish actor who began his career with Pedro Almodóvar before becoming a Hollywood name in films like Philadelphia, Evita and the Zorro films. He also voices Puss in Boots in the Shrek series.
Pedro J Pacheco · CC BY-SA 4.0
The financier who built a circle of wealthy and powerful friends was a convicted sex offender, later charged with trafficking minors. He died in a jail cell while awaiting trial, in a death ruled a suicide.
State of Florida · Public domain
Robert Goddard was an American physicist who built the world's first liquid-fuelled rocket in 1926. Though ridiculed in his day, he is now counted among the pioneers whose work made spaceflight possible.
NASA · Public domain
Ferdinand VI ruled Spain for thirteen years, keeping it out of Europe's wars and pushing through reforms to taxation, trade and the navy. His reign also saw thousands of Roma imprisoned in 1749, and his final years were marred by mental illness.
Louis-Michel van Loo · Public domain
Download on iOS
Download on Android