Filmmaker Satyajit Ray born in Calcutta (1921), and Richard I grants Portsmouth its first royal charter (1194). Born on this day: Satyajit Ray, Catherine II and Catherine the Great. Died: Leonardo da Vinci, Franz von Papen and St. Athanasius.
33 events, 74 births and 56 deaths on this date.
Born in Calcutta to the writer Sukumar Ray, Satyajit Ray later became one of cinema's most admired directors. His debut, Pather Panchali, won eleven international prizes, and he also wrote popular children's stories featuring the detective Feluda.
Dinu Alam Newyork · CC BY-SA 4.0King Richard I gave Portsmouth its first royal charter, setting out the rights of the town and its burgesses. It marked a step in the growth of the port, which became a key base for the English navy.
Matthew Paris · Public domain
Mary, who had been forced from her throne a year earlier, slipped out of her island prison in Loch Leven with help from a young page and her supporters. Her escape rallied followers who briefly raised an army for her, though she was defeated at Langside and fled to England.
Unidentified painter · Public domain
Catalan forces holding the Acropolis handed the citadel over to Nerio Acciaioli, and with it went the Catalans' last hold on the Duchy of Athens. The surrender brought their presence in the duchy to an end.
A.Savin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, was later beheaded for treason. Her downfall was bound up with Henry's break from the Catholic Church, which reshaped the English Reformation.
Unknown Unknown , English · Public domain
Authorities moved the roughly 14,000 people living in Chernobyl out of the town after the explosion at the nearby power plant. The town lies about 90 kilometres north of Kyiv and sits inside the exclusion zone that still bears its name.
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Satyajit Ray was an Indian film director, writer and composer, born in Calcutta. He is best remembered for the Apu Trilogy, beginning with Pather Panchali, which made Indian cinema known around the world.
Dinu Alam Newyork · CC BY-SA 4.0
Born a German princess, she became Empress of Russia after overthrowing her husband, Peter III, in a coup. Remembered as Catherine the Great, she presided over expansion, the arts and Enlightenment reform for over three decades.
After Alexander Roslin · Public domain
Born a German princess, she became Empress of Russia after overthrowing her husband, Peter III, and went on to rule for over 34 years. Her reign expanded the empire and drew Russia into the wider European order of great powers.
After Alexander Roslin · Public domain
Italian polymath who painted the Mona Lisa and filled notebooks with drawings on anatomy, astronomy and engineering. He spent his final three years in France, at the invitation of King Francis I.
Attributed to Francesco Melzi · Public domain
Papen was a German chancellor and Hitler's first vice-chancellor, remembered for helping bring the Nazis to power. He later served as ambassador to Turkey and was acquitted at Nuremberg.
Unknown Unknown · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Bishop of Alexandria who fought the Arian teaching that Christ was not fully divine, and was exiled five times for his stand. He is remembered as one of the great early Church Fathers, and his Life of St Anthony remained widely read.
Public domain
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