Sep 30
Gutenberg and His Bible (1452) It was on this date, September 30, 1452, that the first book printed with moveable metal type came off the press invented by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany. What we know about Gutenberg is little: he was born about 1400, died 1467 or 1468 at Mainz, and he was a …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3284
Sep 29
Michael Servetus (1511) It was on this date, September 29, 1511,* that the Spanish cleric Miguel Serveto, known by his Latinized name, Michael Servetus, was born in Villanueva. Recognizing an incipient intellect, at the age of 13, his father, a Roman Catholic cleric, sent his son to study at the University of Zaragoza/Lerida. It developed …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3279
Sep 28
Friedrich Engels (1820) It was on this date, September 28, 1820, that German political philosopher and Socialist leader Friedrich Engels was born in Barmen, Prussia. His father ran a factory in Manchester, in the north of England, and sent him there as a young man to gain management experience. But Engels was shocked at the …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3261
Sep 27
Pope Paul III Approves the Jesuits (1540) On this date, September 27, in 1540, Pope Paul III officially approved the Society of Jesus – the Jesuits – through his encyclical, Regimini militantis ecclesiae. Born Alessandro Farnese on 29 February 1468 in Rome, Paul III was pope for 15 years, from 12 October 1534 until his …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3269
Sep 27
Stephan Jenkins (1964) It was on this date, September 27, 1964, that Stephan Jenkins, the front man for the pop music group Third Eye Blind, was born Stephan Douglas Jenkins in Southern California. After overcoming childhood dyslexia, and earning a degree in Literature in 1987 from the University of California at Berkeley, Stephan Jenkins co-founded …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3254
Sep 26
Charles Bradlaugh (1833) It was on this date, September 26, 1833, that Charles Bradlaugh was born in Hoxton, London. At the age of twelve his father’s employer hired him on as an office boy. But Bradlaugh began reading the writings of Richard Carlile, who had been imprisoned under English law for blasphemy and seditious libel …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3245
Sep 25
Bill of Rights Passed by the U.S. Congress (1789) It was on this date, September 25, 1789, that the U.S. Congress passed and sent for ratification the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which came to be known as the Bill of Rights. To Freethinkers, the most important amendment is the first, yet when most …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3240
Sep 24
Horace Walpole (1717) It was on this date, September 24, 1717, that English man of letters Horace Walpole was born in London. The youngest son of England’s longest-ruling Prime Minister, Robert Walpole (who was most likely an Atheist), Horace’s original first name was Horatio. Educated according to his social station, at Eton and King’s College, …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3231
Sep 23
Ani DiFranco (1970) It was on this date, September 23, 1970, that recording artist and entrepreneur Ani DiFranco was born in Buffalo, New York. She got her first lessons in performance from Buffalo bar talent, which left her with no illusions about the music business. DiFranco began singing and playing acoustic guitar before she was …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3224
Sep 22
The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith (1827) It was on this date, September 22, 1827, that the resurrected being described as the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and eventually revealed the location of golden tablets containing the Book of Mormon beneath a hill in Palmyra, New York. Moroni is supposed to have been …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3218
Recent Comments