A look back at history on this date
Events below are loaded live for August 7th
George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.
The Treaty of Åbo ended the 1741-1743 Russo-Swedish War.
The Battle of Gangut: The first important victory of the Russian Navy.
The brigantine Le Griffon becomes the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes of North America.
Battle of Guinegate: French troops of King Louis XI were defeated by the Burgundians led by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg.
The Ming dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
Coronation of King Otto I of Germany.
Pope Stephen III is elected to office, and quickly seeks Frankish protection against the Lombard threat, since the Byzantine Empire is no longer able to help.
The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Constantinople.
Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the magister militum Ricimer.
Constantius II
Roman emperor (died 361)
Born 317Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (died 1316)
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (died 1316)
Born 1282Alonso de Ercilla
Spanish soldier and poet (died 1595)
Born 1533Elizabeth Báthory
Hungarian aristocrat and purported serial killer (died 1614)
Born 1560Thomas Lupo
English viol player and composer (died 1627)
Born 1571Robert Dudley
English explorer and cartographer (died 1649)
Born 1574Georg Stiernhielm
Swedish poet and linguist (died 1672)
Born 1598William Frederick
Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Dutch stadtholder (died 1664)
Born 1613Majorian
Roman emperor (born 420)
461Li Chongjun
Chinese prince
707Alfonso V
king of León (born 994)
1028Henry IV
Holy Roman Emperor (born 1050)
1106Hugh Foliot
bishop of Hereford (born c. 1155)
1234See how inflation has changed the value of money since you were born.
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