The literal loss of one's head.
Decapitation
Fact of the Day
In some London streets in the seventeenth century, one house in every three was a tavern.
Quote of the Day
"You will live to have your bellyful of parliaments.
"
~ James I to his son, Charles
On This Day
1492 The Ensisheim meteorite, the oldest meteorite with a known date of impact, struck outside the village of Ensisheim, in Alsace, France. The only witness was a small boy.
1872 The Mary Celeste left New York harbour bound for Genoa. She was found abandoned four weeks later.
1908 Notorious bank robbers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a shoot-out with police in Bolivia (although their death will always be disputed).
1916 Jeanette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to be elected to the US Congress.
1917 (NS) The October Revolution started when the Bolsheviks seized control of Petrograd.