On 30th May…

1593 - Christopher Marlowe, a playwright and friend of William Shakespeare was stabbed to death in a bar fight. Some of Christopher Marlowe’s famous plays include Dr Faustus and Tamburlaine the Great.

On 31st May…

1859 - The Great Clock in the Queen Elizabeth Tower next to the Houses of Parliament started ticking for the first time. Big Ben is the name for the bell in the tower that chimes every 15 minutes and bongs every hour.

On 1st June…

193CE - The Roman Emperor Didius Julianus was assassinated. He was only emperor for a short while having won his title by being the highest bidder in an auction for the support of the Praetorian Guard. This only goes to show that buying your way to power does not guarantee that people will like you.

On 2nd June…

On 3rd June…

On 4th June…

On 5th June…

1646 - Elena Cornaro Piscopia was born. Elena, an Italian mathematician, was the first woman ever to receive an academic degree from a university.