Firsts and Lasts
1485 Last of the Plantagenet kings
At the Battle of Bosworth usurper Henry Tudor defeats Richard III who is killed, ending the Plantagenet dynasty whose branches of York and Lancaster had been fighting the Wars of the Roses. Tudor becomes Henry VII.
1642 First day of the English Civil War
Charles I, involved in years of quarrelling with Parliament, raises his royal standard at Nottingham signifying that he was at war with his opponents. Seven years later he will be beheaded by his Parliamentary captors.
1831 Nat Turner’s first victim
Slave Nat Turner began his rebellion with an order to “kill the white people”. His rebels in Virgina murdered 60 whites before they were quelled after two days, leading to murderous reprisals against southern blacks. Turner was executed in November.
1953 Devil’s Island closes
The French government had operated a penal colony in their Guiana colony since 1852. Devil’s Island was known for its harsh conditions and tropical diseases; its most famous prisoner was the falsely-accused Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Few convicts ever returned to France; fewer escaped. The last prison was closed after severe public criticism. The island now houses part of the French space program.
1989 First pitcher to 5,000 K
Nolan Ryan, who played for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, holds a number of baseball records: the only pitcher with 7 no-hitters, the only player to last 27 seasons, the fewest hits allowed per inning, and the leader in strikeouts. On this date in 1989 he struck out Ricky Henderson of the Oakland A’s to become the first pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters. He would go on to strike out another 714 before retiring in 1993.