AncientPages.com – On July 12, 1562, Spanish Franciscan priest and bishop of Yucatán, Diego de Landa, burned the sacred books of the Maya. After hearing of Roman Catholic Maya, who continued to practice idol worship, he ordered an Inquisition in Mani. It

AncientPages.com – On July 11, 1274, Robert I, King of Scots, known as Robert the Bruce was born. He became one of Scotland’s greatest kings. He ruled from March 25, 1306, until he died in 1329. Bruce crowned King of Scots;

AncientPages.com – On July 10, 1212, a fire started south of the Thames in Southwark, London, United Kingdom. Over the years, London has experienced many horrible fires, such as the Great Fire of London in 1666. The fire raged for

AncientPages.com – On July 9, 1941, the German army’s secret code, Enigma, which directed ground-to-air operations on the Eastern Front, was finally broken. Polish mathematicians from the University of Poznan, from left: Henryk Zygalski, Jerzy Rózycki and Marian Rejewski, who

AncientPages.com – On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, departed from Lisbon on a voyage that led to the discovery of a sea route to India around the southern tip of Africa. Vasco da Gama – 1838.

AncientPages.com – On July 7, 1550, chocolate was introduced in Europe, and the Mexican drink became a passion that endures after nearly half a millennium. In 1550 Dominican friars promoted chocolate as a beverage by introducing it to royalty and

AncientPages.com – On July 6, 1189, young Richard I, Coeur de Lion, or Lionheart, ascended the British throne in alliance with King Philip II of France. Richard was the third son of Henry II and the last in line to the English

AncientPages.com – On July 5, 1687, one of the most famous books in the history of science was published by Isaac Newton. Newton’s own copy of his Principia Mathematica. Image credit: Andrew Dunn – CC BY-SA 2.0 The book “Principia Mathematica” or simply ‘Principia’

AncientPages.com – On July 4, 1456, the Siege of Nándorfehérvár (also known as the Siege of Belgrade or Battle of Belgrade began. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire launched an invasion through the Balkans against the

AncientPages.com – On July 3, 1841, astronomer John Couch Adams was one of two who independently discovered the planet Neptune. Many people consider him the true discoverer of the planet. Astronomer John Couch Adams was one of two who independently discovered

AncientPages.com – On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart,  the most famous female pilot, disappeared without a trace over the Pacific Ocean. Earhart’s last communication was at 8:43 a.m.: “We are running north and south.” American aviator/pilot Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) standing