Historical Writings

Death in Bohemia of John Ziska, a military genius. He dies of plague after defeating several armies that tried to suppress the Bohemian reformation begun by the martyr Jan Hus.

Leo X conferred the title "Fidei Defensor" (Defender of the Faith) upon England's Henry VIII. Three popes and 13 years later, Henry severed all ties with Rome to establish the Church of England.

Death of Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli in the Battle of Kappel.

The 13th Session of the Council of Trent opened, during which major decisions were reached regarding the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist.

Dedication of New Jerusalem Church in Tranquebar, India.

Death in Benham, Berkshire, England, of Thomas Stackhouse, biblical writer. His main work was a biblical history that addressed many objections by skeptics.

Repose (death) of Leonid of Optina, a monastic leader who had introduced a controversial system of eldership to his monastery.

Birth of Avis B. Christiansen, devotional author. One of the most prolific hymnwriters of the 20th century, two of her most enduring hymns today are "Up Calvary's Mountain" and "Precious Hiding Place."

During World War I, the Cathedral of Notre Dame suffered minor damage during an air raid on Paris. (Notre Dame, the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, is distinguished for both its size and antiquity.)

Death of Archdeacon of the Yukon Hudson Stuck, an Episcopal priest who had explored in Alaska and climbed Denali (aka Mt. McKinley).

Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'Doctrinal rightness and rightness of ecclesiastical position are important, but only as a starting point to go on into a living relationship -- and not as ends in themselves.

The first session of the Second Vatican Council opens. It will transform the way the Catholic church relates to other Christian denominations.