A time in ancient Rome lasting from about 150BCE until the assumption of power by Octavian in 30BCE. It covers a period when the foundations of the Republic became more shaky, with 'great men' achieving dominance and often ignoring the laws and traditions of the Senate.
Late Republic
Fact of the Day
Henry II famously beat a Cistercian abbot in a drinking (‘toasting’) contest.
Quote of the Day
"And if I am to estimate the penalty justly, I say that maintenance in the Prytaneum is the just return.
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~ Plato reporting Socrates' suggestion for punishment
On This Day
1537 Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, died of a fever following the birth of her son.
1648 The Treaty of Westphalia marked the end of the Thirty Years War. The first six months of the peace conference was spent arguing about protocol.
1901 Annie Edson Taylor, a 63 year old schoolteacher was the first person to plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
1945 The United Nations was founded.
2003 Concorde completed its final commercial passenger flight.