On this day in the year 138 of the common era (CE) the Roman emperor Hadrian adopts his male companion and longtime aide Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor. Hadrian and Pius are the third and fourth of Machiavelli’s so-called “five good emperors,” beginning with Nerva in 96 CE, followed by Trajan, Hadrian and Pius, culminating in the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Antoninus Pius was the first emperor to issue the legal opinions that a person should be considered innocent until proven guilty, and that they should be judged by a jury of their peers.
On this day in the year 1095 CE at the Council of Rockingham, king William II of England clashes with Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury over papal allegiance, leading to Anselm's eventual exile until William's death in 1100; four hundred and seventy-five years later, pope Pius V excommunicates queen Elizabeth I of England for the persecution of English Catholics during her reign, and the heresy of rejecting the authority of the Church. Pope Pius absolves all of her subjects from their sworn allegiance to the crown. Thirty-one years after that, in the year 1601 CE, Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex, is executed for treason against the crown of England; thirty four years later, the an Irish captain serving in the Imperial Army naked Walter Devereaux assassinates the Duke Wallenstein in his quarters…he gores him with a pole-arm as the Imperial General pleads for his life.
On this day in 1751 CE the first performing monkey is put on exhibition New York, New York…admission is one penny.
In 1791 CE the first Bank of the United States is chartered by the United States Congress for a term of twenty years; seventy-one years later, the Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by Congress, authorizing the United States Note (the greenback) to go into circulation, it is the first fiat paper money that is legal tender in America. One year after that, Congress creates the national banking system as the comptroller of currency.
In 1799 CE the first federal forestry legislation passed by the United States congress authorizes the purchase of timberland; seventy years later Congress passes the first Timberland Protection Act.
In 1836 CE, Samuel Colt patents the first practical revolving-cylinder, multi-shot revolver, allowing it to fire multiple shots without reloading; one year later the first electric printing press is patented by Thomas Davenport. Ninety-three years after that, a device known as the "Checkograph" was patented by banker George McCarthy. Kodak’s purchase of the technology in 1928 CE marks the beginning of commercial microfilm usage for bank records.
In 1855 CE, Bowery Boys gang leader William Poole "Bill the Butcher" is shot in the back by his archrival John Morrissey in New York, New York…it takes him eleven days to die; fifty three years later, the first tunnel under Hudson River opens, it was built for rail.
In 1870 CE, Hiram R. Revels is sworn in as the United States Senator from Mississippi, he is a Republican and the first African-American member of Congress.
In 1913 CE the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution becomes law, providing the legal basis for the institution of a graduated income tax; six years later Oregon becomes the first state to impose a gasoline tax, the rate is set at one cent per gallon.
In 1926 CE, Francisco Franco becomes Spain's youngest general at the age of thirty-three; six years later Austrian immigrant Adolf Hitler is granted German citizenship. Twenty-four years after that, in 1956 CE, Nikita Khrushchev denounces Joseph Stalin at the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; ten years later general Hafiz al-Assad comes to power in Syria by military force and the coup de etat.
In 1957 CE, Buddy Holly and the Crickets record their smash hit That'll Be the Day in Clovis, New Mexico.
Also in 1957 CE the United States Supreme Court decides 6-3, that Major League Baseball (MLB) is the only antitrust-exempt professional sport; twelve years later the MLB owners finally come up with a pension plan for players.
In 1964 CE, Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay)) wins his first world heavyweight boxing title when Sonny Liston fails to come out of his corner for round seven at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach, Florida; twenty-five years later “Iron” Mike Tyson knocks out Frank Bruno in the fifth round to retain his status as the undisputed world heavyweight champion, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1971 CE the prime minister of Northern Ireland, James Chichester-Clark holds a meeting with Catholic cardinal of Ireland William Conway, it is the first such meeting between persons holding these offices since 1921; one year later John Taylor, the Irish minister of state for home affairs is shot multiple times by members of the Official Irish Republican Army in a botched assassination attempt. Also on this day in 1972 CE, Sir Paul McCartney releases the single, Give Ireland Back to the Irish.
In 1981 CE the United States performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site; one years later the final episode of The Lawrence Welk Show airs.
In 1987 CE the United States Supreme Court upholds affirmative action with four justices in the minority. Five years later the blues guitar legend, Muddy Waters, whose instrumentation is foundational to the music of such bands as The Beatles, The Rolling Stone and Led Zeppelin, receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the thirty fourth Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2012 CE the World Health Organization removes India from the list of polio endemic countries.
In 2014 CE, hundreds of pro-Russian protesters block the Crimean parliament and demand a referendum on Crimea's independence; ten years later, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy reports that thirty-one thousand Ukrainian soldiers have died fighting in the previous two years since the Russian invasion began.
