HistoryPod Podcast
1) 25th December 800: Charlemagne crowned emperor by Pope Leo III during Christmas Mass at St Peter’s Basilica
The coronation of Charlemagne established the precedent for what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire and reinforced the idea of a Christian emperor as protector of the ...
2) 22nd December 1964: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft makes its first flight
The SR-71 was used to conduct reconnaissance missions over hostile territory, providing high-quality photographic and electronic intelligence until its retirement in ...
3) 19th December 1777: George Washington leads the Continental Army into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
By the time the Continental Army left Valley Forge in June 1778 it was smaller in number but stronger in organisation and confidence, establishing the foundations of its eventual success against Briti...Show More
4) 16th December 1431: Henry VI became the only English monarch to be crowned King of France
Henry was crowned by the Bishop of Paris, as the Archbishop of Reims was aligned with the French crown. Attendance was limited, and the event failed to generate significant support among the French .....Show More
5) 13th December 1577: Francis Drake departs Plymouth on his circumnavigation of the globe
Drake’s fleet consisted of five ships, with the flagship Pelican later renamed Golden Hind, and it departed Plymouth on 13 ...
6) 10th December 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris
Drafted in the aftermath of the Second World War and the revelations of mass atrocities committed by totalitarian regimes, the declaration aimed to provide a shared framework for human dignity applica...Show More
7) 7th December 1995: NASA’s Galileo spacecraft becomes the first to enter orbit around Jupiter
Galileo’s arrival at Jupiter on 7 December 1995 demonstrated the feasibility of long-duration operations in the outer Solar System and produced findings that shaped subsequent missions, including Juno...Show More
8) 4th December 1676: Battle of Lund fought between Denmark–Norway and Sweden, one of the bloodiest battles in Scandinavia
Casualty estimates indicate that nearly half of all soldiers engaged were killed or wounded, making the Battle of Lund one of the bloodiest engagements ever fought on Scandinavian ...
9) 1st December 1934: Assassination of Sergei Kirov, one of the most prominent figures in the Soviet Communist Party
The authorities claimed that the murder was part of a broader conspiracy involving former oppositionists,, and used it as a catalyst for the purges that began in 1935 and escalated into mass arrests, ...Show More
10) 28th November 1660: The Royal Society founded at Gresham College in London by a group of notable natural philosophers
By providing an organised setting for experiment, publication, and debate, the Royal Society helped anchor the emerging scientific method and created a model that continues to influence scientific cul...Show More