Italian philosopher
Romanian author, poet, journalist
English singer-songwriter, guitarist
Turkish army officer, politician, 1st President of Turkey
American minister, activist
Cuban journalist, poet, theorist
American book editor, 37th First Lady of the United States
English wife of Henry VIII of England
Polish writer
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
As the second wife of English King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn's fall from grace and eventual execution on charges of adultery, incest and treason was a turning point in English history. Her death paved the way for Henry's subsequent marriages and the establishment of the Church of England.
In an effort to defend against Native American tribes and the Dutch, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Harbor joined together to form a confederation. The United Colonies of New England represented a precursor to the later United States federal system.
Following the execution of King Charles I, the Rump Parliament declared England a republic and established the Commonwealth. The period of Commonwealth rule would last for the next eleven years, until the restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II.
French physicist Jean-Pierre Christin invented the Celsius thermometer, which uses the freezing and boiling points of water to create a centigrade temperature scale. This system is widely used around the world today, with the notable exception of the United States, Belize, and Palau.
As part of the "Scramble for Africa", German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck claimed Cameroon and Togoland as German colonies. The acquisition of these territories would later contribute to tensions between Germany and other European powers, ultimately leading to World War I.
This act allowed private publishers and printers to produce postcards, which had previously been a government monopoly. The cards had to be labeled "Private Mailing Cards" until 1901, when the term "souvenir cards" became more widely used.
Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk led a resistance movement against the occupying forces of the Allies. The war would eventually lead to the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and Atatürk's presidency.
In an effort to supply their forces in South Vietnam, the North Vietnamese Army established a network of trails and roads through neighboring Laos and Cambodia. The Ho Chi Minh trail would become a key factor in the Vietnam War, allowing the North Vietnamese to move troops and supplies undetected by American forces.
At a Democratic Party fundraiser, actress and singer Marilyn Monroe gave a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. The performance, which was rumored to reflect a romantic relationship between the two, would be Monroe's last public appearance before her death the following year.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for participating in a nonviolent protest against racial segregation. While in jail, he wrote an open letter to fellow clergymen who had criticized his tactics, defending the use of nonviolent resistance to combat racism and segregation. The letter, which became known as the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," became one of the most important texts of the civil rights movement in the United States.