On December 16, 1497, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reached the mount of the Great Fish River on the eastern side of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Thus far had his predecessor Bartolomeu Dias come in 1488, but damage to the ships and dwindling supplies forced Dias to turn back. We… Continue reading December 16: Vasco da Gama’s Voyage
Category: World History
December 6: The Nihon shoki
On this day in A. D. 735, Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu, died without ever ruling, but since his son Junnin did come to the throne, Toneri was posthumously granted an imperial title, Emperor Sudoujinkei. Although he did exercise some political influence as a member of the imperial family, Toneri’s great contribution to Japanese… Continue reading December 6: The Nihon shoki
December 2: Chromatius
December 2 is the feast of Chromatius, bishop of Aquileia in Italy, who died in 406. He is one of those minor early Church Fathers who don’t get a lot of press, and he shows up in only in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Calendars, but he’s definitely worth more than a cursory glance.… Continue reading December 2: Chromatius