|
October 17
539 BC. Cyrus the Great, of Persia, in the midst of building one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, captures Babylon.
1346. Battle of Neville's Cross. Yet another in the seemingly endless battles between Scotland and England, King David II of Scotland (the son of Robert the Bruce) is captured, and will reside in the Tower of London, as a prisoner, for the next 11 years. Upon his death, the House of Bruce will end, as he died without issue.
1660. Upon the restoration of the English Monarchy, nine of the "Regicides" the men who participated in the trial and ordered the execution of King Charles I, are themselves hanged, drawn and quartered.
1781. General Lord Charles Cornwallis offers to surrender his troops at Yorktown, Virginia. This effectively ends the Revolutionary War.
1931. Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.
1973. OPEC starts an oil embargo against a number of countries, including the United States, deemed to have helped Israel in the Yom Kippur War. It would last until March 1974 and succeed in some of its goals of splintering Europe from the United States in terms of their policies in the Middle East, and trying to bring about an accord.
|