917day.year
Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu.
In 917, Liu Yan declared himself emperor at Panyu, marking the birth of the Southern Han state in southern China.
During the collapse of the Tang dynasty, China fractured into multiple kingdoms.
Liu Yan, a former military governor, seized the moment to elevate himself from regional power to emperor.
On September 5, 917, he enthroned himself in Panyu, modern-day Guangzhou, launching the Southern Han regime.
The new state controlled a prosperous coastal region and established its own administrative and military institutions.
Southern Han lasted until its conquest by the Song dynasty in 971, leaving a legacy of regional culture and economic strength.
917
Liu Yan
Southern Han
1367day.year
Swa Saw Ke becomes king of Ava
In 1367, Swa Saw Ke ascended the throne as king of Ava, ushering in a period of stability and cultural growth in Burma.
Following years of internal strife in the upper Irrawaddy valley, Swa Saw Ke emerged as a unifying leader.
He inherited a fragmented realm and implemented reforms to strengthen central authority and improve defense.
Under his rule, Ava enjoyed renewed political stability and fostered ties with neighboring kingdoms through diplomacy.
He patronized religious institutions, supporting the spread of Theravada Buddhism and temple construction.
His reign laid the groundwork for the golden age of Burmese art and architecture in the late 14th century.
1367
Swa Saw Ke
Ava
1590day.year
Alexander Farnese's army forces Henry IV of France to lift the siege of Paris.
In 1590, Alexander Farnese led Spanish forces to relieve Paris, compelling Henry IV of France to abandon his siege.
In the midst of the French Wars of Religion, Catholic forces sought to prevent the Protestant Henry IV from seizing Paris.
On September 5, 1590, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, staged a daring relief operation from Spanish-controlled Flanders.
His army pushed through royalist defenses and forced the besieging forces to withdraw, lifting the threat to Paris.
The event bolstered Catholic morale and showcased Farnese's strategic brilliance in siege warfare.
It prolonged the conflict until Henry IV converted to Catholicism in 1593, opening the way for his recognition as king.
1590
Alexander Farnese
Henry IV of France
siege of Paris
1622day.year
A hurricane overruns a Spanish fleet bound from Havana to Cadiz and sinks the galleon Atocha. Only five men are rescued, but 260 passengers and 200 million pesos are buried with the Atocha under 50 feet of water.
In 1622, a powerful hurricane struck a Spanish treasure fleet, sinking the galleon Atocha and burying its vast riches beneath the waves.
Transporting New World silver and valuables, the Spanish fleet set sail from Havana for Cadiz.
On September 5, 1622, a sudden hurricane slammed into the convoy near the Florida Keys, scattering the ships.
The flagship galleon Atocha was torn apart and sank beneath 50 feet of water, carrying 260 souls and immense treasure.
Only five survivors were rescued from the storm-tossed wreckage, while gold, silver and gems rested on the seabed.
The lost treasure remained a legendary lure until its rediscovery by salvage divers centuries later.
1622
galleon Atocha
1661day.year
Fall of Nicolas Fouquet: Louis XIV's Superintendent of Finances is arrested in Nantes by D'Artagnan, captain of the king's musketeers.
On September 5, 1661, Louis XIV’s finance minister Nicolas Fouquet was arrested in Nantes by D’Artagnan on charges of embezzlement and treason.
By the 1660s, Nicolas Fouquet had amassed immense wealth and influence as Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV.
King Louis, wary of Fouquet’s power and lavish lifestyle, plotted to remove him from office.
On September 5, 1661, Captain D’Artagnan led royal musketeers to arrest Fouquet at his estate in Nantes.
Fouquet’s dramatic downfall was immortalized in literature and film, symbolizing the absolute authority of the Sun King.
He was charged with embezzlement and espionage, spending his remaining years imprisoned at Pignerol.
1661
Nicolas Fouquet
Louis XIV
Superintendent of Finances
Nantes
D'Artagnan
musketeers
1666day.year
Great Fire of London ends: Ten thousand buildings, including Old St Paul's Cathedral, are destroyed, but only six people are known to have died.
The Great Fire of London, which had raged for four days, finally burned out on September 5, 1666, after destroying much of the medieval city.
The catastrophic blaze began in a bakery on Pudding Lane and swept through London's dense wooden neighborhoods.
By September 5, 1666, shifting winds died down, allowing firebreaks to halt the inferno's advance.
The fire consumed over 13,000 houses, St Paul's Cathedral in its medieval form, and numerous churches.
Miraculously, official records cite only six verified fatalities, though the true death toll may have been higher.
The devastation prompted a massive rebuilding effort led by Sir Christopher Wren, reshaping London's architecture.
1666
Great Fire of London
Old St Paul's Cathedral
1697day.year
War of the Grand Alliance : A French warship commanded by Captain Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville defeated an English squadron at the Battle of Hudson's Bay.
On September 5, 1697, during the War of the Grand Alliance, French captain Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville defeated an English squadron in the Battle of Hudson’s Bay.
In a bid to control the lucrative fur trade, naval forces clashed in the icy waters of Hudson Bay.
Captain Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, commanding the French ship Pélican, engaged an English squadron near James Bay.
Using superior seamanship and surprise tactics, the French seized the English vessels after fierce combat.
The victory secured French dominance over the bay and disrupted English supply lines to Hudson’s Bay Company posts.
The battle underscored the global reach of European conflicts and the strategic importance of North American resources.
1697
War of the Grand Alliance
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Battle of Hudson's Bay
1698day.year
In an effort to Westernize his nobility, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards for all men except the clergy and peasantry.
In 1698, Tsar Peter the Great introduced a beard tax to encourage Western-European fashion among Russian nobility.
Seeking to modernize Russia, Peter the Great traveled to Europe to study shipbuilding and culture.
Upon his return, he sought to Westernize Russian society, targeting the deeply rooted tradition of beard-wearing.
On September 5, 1698, he imposed a tax on beards, exempting only the clergy and peasantry.
Nobles who paid the levy received a medal as proof of compliance, blending punishment with incentive.
The beard tax symbolized Peter’s broader reforms, challenging old customs to propel Russia toward European norms.
1698
Tsar
Peter I of Russia
1725day.year
Wedding of Louis XV and Maria Leszczyńska.
On September 5, 1725, King Louis XV of France married Polish princess Maria Leszczyńska, forging a key dynastic alliance.
At the Palace of Versailles, the young King Louis XV, aged fifteen, wed Maria Leszczyńska, daughter of Poland’s King Stanisław I.
The union was arranged to strengthen France’s influence in Central Europe and counter Habsburg power.
Maria’s gentle piety and patronage of the arts endeared her to the French court and common people.
Their marriage produced ten children, securing the Bourbon succession and dynastic stability.
The royal wedding at Versailles became a grand spectacle of French Baroque pageantry and ceremony.
1725
Louis XV
Maria Leszczyńska
1774day.year
First Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia.
In 1774, delegates from twelve American colonies convened in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress to coordinate resistance against British policies.
Facing the punitive Intolerable Acts imposed by Britain, colonial leaders sought unified action to protect their rights.
On September 5, 1774, representatives from twelve colonies met in Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia.
The Congress drafted petitions to King George III and organized a Continental Association to enforce boycotts of British goods.
Their deliberations laid the foundation for intercolonial cooperation and ultimately the American Revolution.
Though not yet a revolutionary government, the Congress marked a critical step toward independence.
1774
First
Continental Congress
Philadelphia
1781day.year
Battle of the Chesapeake in the American Revolutionary War: The British Navy is repelled by the French Navy, contributing to the British surrender at Yorktown.
French naval forces repel the British at the Battle of the Chesapeake, a decisive action that led to the British surrender at Yorktown.
The Battle of the Chesapeake took place on September 5, 1781, when the French fleet under Admiral de Grasse engaged the British navy commanded by Rear Admiral Thomas Graves. After several hours of exchange, the French succeeded in preventing the British from relieving the besieged army at Yorktown. This strategic victory secured critical supply and communication lines for General George Washington's allied forces. The British navy's failure to break the blockade directly contributed to the eventual surrender of Lord Cornwallis's forces on October 19. Widely regarded as a turning point in the American Revolutionary War, the battle demonstrated the importance of naval power in supporting land operations.
1781
Battle of the Chesapeake
American Revolutionary War
British surrender at Yorktown
1791day.year
Olympe de Gouges writes the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen.
Olympe de Gouges pens the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, challenging French society to recognize women's equality.
On September 5, 1791, French activist Olympe de Gouges published the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen. A direct response to the male-centric Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), she asserted that women are born free and equal in rights. De Gouges outlined thirty-five articles demanding women's access to education, property rights, and political participation. Despite its groundbreaking call for gender equality, many contemporaries dismissed or condemned her work. It marked one of the earliest formal advocacy documents for women's rights during the French Revolution. Though de Gouges faced significant hostility and ultimately execution, her Declaration influenced later feminist movements and remains a foundational text in gender equality debates.
1791
Olympe de Gouges
Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen