Charles I is crowned King of Scots at St Giles' Cathedral (1633), and Kazakhstan launches its first space satellite, KazSat-1 (2006). Born on this day: Paul McCartney, Sir Paul McCartney and Thabo Mbeki. Died: Roald Amundsen, Maxim Gorky and José Saramago.
32 events, 74 births and 64 deaths on this date.
Charles I took the Scottish crown in Edinburgh, a ceremony held in Scotland's principal church, St Giles'. It was his only coronation in Scotland, and it came amid rising tensions over the Church of Scotland that would later help bring about his downfall.
Anthony van Dyck · Public domainKazakhstan put its first satellite into orbit, a communications craft called KazSat-1, which was launched from Russia's Baikonur site. It was the country's first step into space technology after independence.
Darwin received a paper from the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace setting out the same idea of natural selection he had been developing privately for two decades. The letter pushed Darwin to publish his own account of evolution without further delay.
Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, became the fourth caliph and would later be remembered as the first Shia Imam. His rule ended with his assassination in 661, and his claim to lead after Muhammad remains a central division between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Salman bin Abdulaziz, a long-serving governor of Riyadh and then defence minister, was named heir to the Saudi throne. The appointment put him in line to rule, and he became king in 2015 after his half-brother Abdullah died.
Napoleon's last battle ended with his army broken by Wellington's British-led forces and Blücher's Prussians near Waterloo, in what is now Belgium. The defeat ended the Hundred Days and his second bid for power, sending him into exile for good.
William Sadler · Public domain
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Born in Liverpool, McCartney became the Beatles' bassist and co-wrote much of their music with John Lennon. He is still remembered for songs such as Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby, and for a solo career that began in 1970.
Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0
Sir Paul McCartney is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-writer of the Beatles alongside John Lennon. His songs, including Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby, rank among the most covered in music history.
Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0
Thabo Mbeki is a South African economist and politician who led the country as president between 1999 and 2008. Before that he was Nelson Mandela's deputy, and during apartheid he spent decades in exile working for the African National Congress.
Antônio Milena/ABr · Attribution
Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole in December 1911. He vanished in 1928 while flying to help rescue survivors of the airship Italia, and his remains were never found.
Anonymous Unknown author · Public domain
Russian writer and playwright who rose from poverty to fame with stories and plays like The Lower Depths. He spent much of his life in exile, criticising both the Tsar and later the Bolsheviks, before returning to the Soviet Union.
Herman Mishkin · Public domain
Portuguese novelist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for fiction blending allegory, irony and sharp political critique. He spent his last years in exile on Lanzarote, the Spanish island where he lived with his wife.
Unknown author Unknown author · CC BY 2.0
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