361 The Christian emperor Constantius II dies, leaving the throne of the Roman Empire to his cousin Julian, a born-again pagan. Julian, known to history as the Apostate, will die in battle less than two years later, the last ruler of the Constantinian dynasty. The Roman empire will thereafter always be ruled by a Christian.
1534 Henry VIII establishes the Church of England. Needing to abandon the jurisdiction of the pope to gain legitimacy for his divorce to Katherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn, Henry has his Parliament pass the Act of Supremacy, naming the king “the only supreme head on Earth of the Church of England”.
1793 The execution of Olympe de Gouges. Born Marie Gouze in 1748 Olympe lived a life of scandal and radicalism. She advocated sexual freedom, easy divorce, an end to slavery, and political rights for women. An early supporter of the French Revolution, she was arrested by the Jacobin faction who were beginning their Reign of Terror. On this date she was executed by the Paris guillotine.