Day In History
This Day in History
Today: October 12, 2026
-539
The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. (Julian calendar)[1]
633
Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by an alliance under Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Gwynedd.[2]
1279
The Nichiren Shōshū branch of Buddhism is founded in Japan.[3]
1398
In the Treaty of Salynas, Lithuania cedes Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights.[4]
1406
Chen Yanxiang, the only person from Indonesia known to have visited dynastic Korea, reaches Seoul after having set out from Java four months before.[5]
1492
Christopher Columbus's first expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean, specifically on San Salvador Island. (Julian calendar)[6]
1654
The Delft Explosion devastates the city in the Netherlands, killing more than 100 people.
1692
The Salem witch trials are ended by a letter from Province of Massachusetts Bay Governor William Phips.
1748
War of Jenkins' Ear: A British squadron wins a tactical victory over a Spanish squadron off Havana.
1773
America's first insane asylum opens.
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