February 13th - 19th
“Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! - I doubt Captain Cook enjoyed that day in 1779...read on to find out why!”
On 13th February…
Henry VIII executes his fifth wife
1542 - Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII was executed for treason.
Galileo arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy
1633 - After a 23-day journey from Florence, Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to face the Pope and the Roman Church for charges of heresy (a belief different to that of the church). He had openly agreed with the theory made by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1530 that the earth revolved around the sun and that the Earth was not the centre of the universe as the church believed. Galileo was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. Can you imagine a time when people believed that the sun and all the other planets moved around the Earth? And can you imagine being put under arrest for thinking differently?
William and Mary proclaimed King and Queen of England
1689 - William of Orange (King William III), the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands and his wife, Mary, the daughter of King James II, were proclaimed joint monarchs of Britain. They had claimed the throne after Parliament invited them to invade and take the crown from Mary’s Catholic father, King James II who had fled to France.
King William III and Queen Mary II were crowned without any opposition. At their coronation they signed the Bill of Rights which, among other things, prevented a Catholic from becoming king or queen of Britain and limited the power of the monarchy. This event was called The Glorious Revolution because the take-over of the throne occurred without a war.
1692 - The MacDonalds of Glencoe were massacred for not promptly pledging an allegiance to King William III and Queen Mary II. Many Scottish clans had remained faithful to King James II when he had been deposed and replaced by his daughter and her husband. The government had offered safety to everyone who took an oath of allegiance before 1st January 1692 otherwise they could be arrested and face charges of treason. Most chiefs of the clans had taken the oath, but Alexander MacDonald had waited until the last minute but was then unable to take the oath because there was no magistrate to witness it. So despite their acceptance of the new monarchy, the MacDonalds had missed the deadline and because of that, the Secretary of State for Scotland issued an order for military punishment of the clan. Many managed to escape but 33 men, 2 women and 2 children were murdered by soldiers at Glencoe.
On 14th February…
270CE - Valentine, a holy priest was executed for defying Roman Emperor Claudius II’s ban on all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine felt that the ruling was unfair and continued to perform secret marriages for young couples. After his death Valentine was named a saint, we now call this day St Valentine’s Day in honour of his memory. (This is just one story of how Valentine’s Day became, there are many different legends and at least three different identities to Valentine.)
Captain Cook killed by Hawaiians
1779 - The great English explorer and navigator, Captain James Cook, was killed by native Hawaiians during his third visit to the islands. Captain Cook had sailed around the world twice and mapped great stretches of the Pacific Ocean on his ship HMS Endeavour.
On 15th February…
1903 - The first teddy bears went on sale in a shop in America. The toy was named after the American President Theodore Roosevelt who had refused to shoot a captive bear on a hunting trip. On hearing the story, a sweet-shop owner and his wife who also made and sold stuffed animals in their store decided to make some stuffed bears and dedicate them to the President. They called them ‘Teddy’s bear’.
On 16th February…
Tutankhamun’s tomb is discovered
1923 - English archaeologist, Howard Carter entered the sealed burial chamber of Tutankhamun. Carter had been searching for the tomb for six years when he spotted some hidden steps near to the entrance of another tomb. The steps led down to Tutankhamun’s burial chamber which had lain untouched and unnoticed for over 3,000 years. Inside the burial chamber was a vast hoard of treasures and artefacts which were intended to accompany Tutankhamun into the afterlife.
On 17th February…
1461 - The second Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses took place in and around St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. The Wars of the Roses were battles between cousin’s fighting over who should be king of England. At the time it was called the Cousin’s War but has since been renamed the Wars of the Roses after the emblems of the two Houses that were fighting. The House of Lancaster had a red rose for its emblem and was originally led by King Henry VI and later Henry Tudor who became King Henry VII whilst the House of York was represented by a white rose and led by King Edward IV and later his brother, King Richard III.
On 18th February…
1478 - George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was executed in the Tower of London for plotting against his brother, King Edward IV. There are rumours that he was drowned in a barrel of wine.
Baby girl born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
1516 - Queen Mary I the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was born. She became the first ruling queen of England. Did you know that she was given the nickname Bloody Queen Mary for her persecution and execution of Protestants by burning about 300 of them at the stake?
On 19th February…
1473 - Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Poland. He introduced the idea that the earth revolves around the sun.
The phonograph is patented
1878 - Thomas Edison patented the phonograph - the first device to record and play sound. Can you believe that the way we listen to podcasts and music today derived from this machine?