September 5, 1946: Freddie Mercury, the iconic lead vocalist of Queen, was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania). His birth name was Farrokh Bulsara. Known for his flamboyant presence and powerful vocals, he co-wrote classic songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We

September 5, 1959: The UK Post Office unveiled new direct dial payphones, allowing users to dial without operator assistance. Payment was made post-connection using three pence, six pence, or one shilling coins. Although the iconic red telephone booths had been around since the

September 5, 1717: George I of Great Britain issued the Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates, commonly known as the Act of Grace. This promised a royal pardon for pirates who surrendered by September 5, 1718, but the deadline was later extended to 1 July 1719. The goal was

September 5, 1698: Peter the Great imposed a beard tax in Russia to promote Western European styles. Citizens who kept their beards paid a tax and received a token as proof. Wealthier individuals paid a higher percent, pushing that group even more toward a clean-shaven look.

September 5, 1975: President Gerald R. Ford survived an assassination attempt in Sacramento, California. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a Charles Manson follower, approached Ford with a .45-caliber handgun but was grabbed by Secret Service before firing. This was the first of two

September 5, 1960: Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, won gold in the light heavyweight boxing division at the Rome Olympics. After turning professional, he went on to become the three time world heavyweight champion. The gold medal in the Rome Olympics is often cited as

Rome’s Eternal Icons: Where History Meets Style The architectural marvels, captured by Pio Andrea Peri, that shaped the world: 🧵

An iconic setting, an iconic shot

September 6, 1522: Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, which originally set out to find a westward route to the Spice Islands, completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Though Magellan was killed in the Philippines, Juan Sebastián Elcano took command and successfully led

September 6, 2007: Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti passed away at the age of 71. His long opera career lasted for several decades, and he is one of the most celebrated opera singers to ever live. He is greatly missed.

September 6, 1642: The English Long Parliament, under significant Puritan influence, ordered the closure of all London theaters, including the renowned Globe that was once associated with Shakespeare. The reasons for the closures included moral corruption, potential political

September 7, 1940: The Blitz began and London was bombed for 56 of the next 57 nights by the German Luftwaffe. Other key cities and ports were also severely bombed, with 40,000 civilian deaths in total. Yet, the UK's morale and war production remained resilient, partly due to

The Gotheborg of Sweden, the world’s largest wooden ocean-going sailing ship crossing under Tower Bridge. 🎥 Liam Pearsonl

September 7, 1936: The Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) began operations on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. It is 726 feet (221 meters) tall and 1,244 feet (379 meters) long, and was constructed during the Great Depression. The dam still serves as a major hydroelectric

September 7, 1978: Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated in London on Waterloo Bridge. He was targeted by Bulgarian secret police agent Francesco Gullino, who used a specially designed umbrella to fire a ricin pellet into Markov. It's widely believed the Bulgarian

September 8, 2022: Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96. She became queen on February 6, 1952 and ruled for over 70 years—the longest reign of any British monarch or female head of state. During her lifetime, she was the queen of 32 countries, and at the time of her

September 8, 1504: Michelangelo's iconic statue of David was unveiled in Florence. Carved from a single block of marble that other sculptors had refused, the 17-foot masterpiece portrays David in anticipation before his battle with Goliath. The Renaissance placed a significant

September 8, 1429: During the Hundred Years' War, King Charles VII and Joan of Arc attacked Paris, trying to reclaim it from English control. Joan of Arc led the charge, but faced heavy resistance and after four hours of fighting Charles VII ordered a retreat. Joan was wounded in

September 8, 1858: Abraham Lincoln is popularly believed to have said, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time," during a speech in Clinton, Illinois. The fact that he actually said this

September 8, 1664: After days of negotiations, English forces took control of New Amsterdam, the Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island. The 300 English soldiers and four warships were led by Colonel Richard Nicolls. Without a single shot fired, the Dutch surrendered their colony