Isaac Newton may - or may not - have invented the cat flap.
Quote of the Day
"To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace
"
~ Tacitus
On This Day
1054A supernova, known as SN 1054, was seen across the northern hemisphere and possibly in Australia. It burnt so brightly that it could be seen during the day for several months, and its remnants went on to form the Crab Nebula.
1533The martyr John Frith was burnt at the stake for heresy, having denied the truth of transubstantiation and purgatory.
1776The US Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, was approved and signed.
1826Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and signatory to the Declaration of Independence, died. A few hours later John Adams, second president of the United States, followed suit.
1914The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations.
1987Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo chief known as the 'Butcher of Lyon', was finally found guilty of crimes against humanity. Despite having personally tortured hundreds of 'undesirables' - including children - he had managed to flee Europe after the war with American help.