This Day That Year

April 19

in History

Piso's Plot Betrayed — A freedman's whisper dooms Rome's conspirators
Rome, Roman EmpireClassical
65

Piso's Plot Betrayed

A freedman's whisper dooms Rome's conspirators

In the imperial capital of Rome, the freedman Milichus betrayed the conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso to assassinate Emperor Nero. The plot, which had drawn in senators, knights, and even members of the Praetorian Guard, collapsed overnight as the conspirators were arrested one by one. Nero's vengeance was swift and terrible -- the philosopher Seneca and the poet Lucan were among those forced to take their own lives in the purge that followed.

65 AD
Iracema de Alencar Was Born — Brazil's silver screen pioneer enters the world
BrazilEarly 20th Century
1900

Iracema de Alencar Was Born

Brazil's silver screen pioneer enters the world

In Brazil, Iracema de Alencar was born -- a woman who would become one of the country's earliest film stars. Making her debut as the lead in the 1917 silent film 'Iracema,' she captivated audiences with her beauty and dramatic presence. After years on the theater stage, she returned to cinema later in life, appearing in several more films. Her career spanned the entire arc of Brazilian cinema's development, from silent pictures to the modern era.

1900 AD
Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.
Late 20th Century
1971

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.

Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.

1971 AD