Browse Historical Events by Month:
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Battle of Rio de Janeiro (also known as the Battle of Guanabara Bay)takes place on January 20, 1567. It was a small but significant skirmish in which a Portuguese force under Governor-General Mem de Sá attacked and destroyed the French settlement of Henriville.
The French, though greater in number, were forced to flee, allowing the Portuguese to reassert control over Guanabara Bay. The battle ended the French colonization attempt (France Antarctique) and solidified Portuguese rule.
Tsar Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible suppresses a rebellion in Novgorod, Russia, executing thousands. The massacre lasted from January 2 to Feb 12, 1570
The Royal Exchange in London is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on January 23. 1571. It was designed by Sir Thomas Gresham as a center for commerce and trading stocks.
English astronomer Thomas Digges publishes a work promoting the Copernican system of astronomy.
The Battle of Gembloux sees Spanish forces defeat the rebel States Army during the Eighty Years' War.
The Union of Arras is signed on January 6, 1579, reconciling the Catholic southern provinces of the Netherlands with King Philip II of Spain.
Sir Francis Drake's forces captured the Spanish city of Santo Domingo (present day Dominican Republic) on January 1, 1586, and occupied it for about a month during England's war with Spain. The raid was part of a larger expedition to the Spanish New World, commanded by Drake under orders from Queen Elizabeth I.
Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots, who is executed three days later.
King Naresuan of Siam, kills the Crown Prince of Burma Mingyi Swa, in a legendary elephant-back duel at the Battle of Nong Sarai, marking a turning point in Burmese-Siamese conflicts and leading to Siamese independence. January 18th, is celebrated as Royal Thai Armed Forces Day.
Thailand was formerly known as Siam and officially changed its name in 1939. It briefly reverted to Siam in 1945 before Thailand in 1949. The name Thailand" means "Land of the Free, a proud reference to never being colonized.
Scotland adopts January 1 as the start of the new year while continuing to use the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar had been introduced in 1582, but Scotland did not adopt until much later, in 1752, when it was joined with England. More
Tsar Boris Godunov of Russia grants significant trading privileges to the English Muscovy Company including toll exemptions actively promoting English trade. The Muscovy Company had been charted in 1555 but enjoyed much growth and support during Tsar Godunov reign.
Miguel de Cervantes’s masterpiece Don Quixote ("The Ingenious Nobleman Don Quixote of La Mancha") is published. on 1605, c. January 16 .The second portion of the book was published in 1615. His book is considered the first modern novel and a foundational work of Western literature. More
A document detailing the Gunpowder Plot is anonymously delivered to English authorities, leading to the plot's exposure.
San Agustin Church in Manila, the oldest stone church in the Philippines, is completed.
French explorer Samuel de Champlain becomes the first known to sight, map, and describe the lake Champlain in North America on July 14, 1609. He named the lake after himself.
Champlain arrived at the lake traveling up the Richelieu River (then known as the Iroquois River) with a group of Algonquin, Huron, and Montagnais allies. Shortly after, on July 29, 1609, Champlain and his allies engaged in a battle against the
Galileo Galilei discovers Callisto, the fourth moon of Jupiter.
The Treaty of Bärwalde is signed between Sweden and France on January 23, 1631. The treaty aimed to prevent Habsburg dominance and advance French policy by France providing Sweden with substantial financial support for five years to maintain an army in Germany for intervention in the Thirty Years' War against the Habsburgs.
The first recorded sighting of Maryland is made by English settlers.
The Académie Française was created by Cardinal Richelieu under Louis XIII on January 29, 1635; a council for matters related to the French language and literature. The first Dictionnaire de l'Académie rançaise was published in 1694 with 18,000 terms. The most recent complete edition, the 8th, was finished in 1935 and contains 35,000 words.
The Puritan political leaders in Connecticut, representing the populations of Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield, approved and adopted on January 14, 1639 a set of written laws agreed upon by the colonists, known as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.
The document stated the powers and limits of government. This document is believed by many to be the first ever, complete, written constitution in the history of the world. Although the date on the document reads 1638 due to colonial dating conventions, the orders were fully adopted in early 1639.
