A wealthy early modern London merchant asked his agent to send him '2 or 3 apes' from Africa, but didn't write the 'r'. The order was interpreted as 203 apes, the first cargo of 80 of which arrived with the promise of more to come.
Quote of the Day
"You will live to have your bellyful of parliaments.
"
~ James I to his son, Charles
On This Day
1266The siege of Kenilworth Castle, one of the longest and largest sieges ever to occur in England, ended when the garrison inside the castle surrendered.
1545The first meeting of the Catholic Council of Trent was held in response to the Protestant Reformation.
1577Drake set sail to circumnavigate the globe, again. His first attempt had run into bad weather.
1784Samuel Johnson, giant of the English language, died. Among many other works, he spent just over eight years writing a 40,000-word dictionary.
1916Avalanches killed 10,000 men on World War One's most extreme battlefield in the Dolomites.
1939The first naval battle of World War Two, the Battle of the River Plate, happened
1973Prime Minister Edward Heath announced plans to introduce the Three Day Week in response to the oil crisis and strike action.
