Anniversaries

Sunday 23 August 1998 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Births: Robert Herrick, poet, baptised 1591; George Stubbs, animal and portrait painter, 1724; William Wilberforce, philanthropist, 1759; Eugene-Francois Vidocq, adventurer and detective, 1775; James Weddell, Antarctic explorer, 1787; Francois-Clement Theodore Dubois, composer and organist, 1837; Felix Josef Mottl, composer, 1856; Sir Max (Henry Maximilian) Beerbohm, writer and caricaturist, 1872; Jean Rhys, novelist, 1894; Jorge Luis Borges, writer, 1899; Graham Vivian Sutherland, artist, 1903.

Deaths: Pliny the Elder, naturalist and writer, 79; Alaric I, King of the Visigoths, 410; Francesco Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola), artist, 1540; Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral and Huguenot leader, killed 1572; Jean-Francois Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz, politician, 1679; Colonel Thomas Blood, adventurer, 1680; Thomas Chatterton, poet, committed suicide 1770; Nicolas-Leonard Sadi Carnot, physicist, 1832; Theodore Edward Hook, playwright and writer, 1841; Margaret Fairless Barber (Michael Fairless), essayist, 1901; Alfred Stevens, painter, 1906; John William Dunne, philosopher, 1949; Getulio Dornelles Vargas, Brazilian president, committed suicide 1954; Ronald Arbuthnot Knox, theologian and essayist, 1957.

On this day: the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius, 79; Rome was captured by the Visigoths, 410; England achieved her first naval victory in the Battle of the Key, when Hubert de Burgh defeated the French fleet under Eustace the Monk, 1217; the Massacre of St Bartholomew occurred in France when thousands of Huguenots were killed in Paris, 1572; Calcutta was founded by Job Charnock at Sutanati, 1686; the English-Dutch Fleets defeated the French at the Battle of Malaga, 1704; Washington DC was captured by British troops, who burned down the White House, 1814; US troops were routed by the British at Bladensburg, Maryland, 1814; Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel, 1875; the Allies retreated from Mons, 1914; the outskirts of London were raided by Zeppelins, killing eight people, 1916; Mustafa Kemal, leading the Turkish army, threw back the Greeks at the Battle of the Sakkaria River, 1921; the Manchester Guardian was renamed the Guardian, 1959.

Today is the Feast Day of St Audenoeus or Ouen, St Bartholomew and The Martyrs of Utica.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in