February 1

in History

Devon, EnglandMedieval

1261

Walter de Stapledon Born

A bishop who built and was betrayed

Walter de Stapledon was born in Devon, England, destined to become one of medieval England's most accomplished yet tragically fated clerics. As Bishop of Exeter and twice Lord High Treasurer, he founded what became Exeter College at Oxford and contributed lavishly to the rebuilding of Exeter Cathedral. His service to the crown, however, made him a target during the London uprising of 1326, where he was killed by a mob in the streets.

1261 AD

South AfricaEarly 20th Century

1900

Lord Roberts Takes Command

Britain sends its best general to Africa

Reeling from a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of Boer forces, Great Britain turned to one of its most celebrated military figures. Field Marshal Lord Roberts was named commander of British forces in South Africa, bringing a lifetime of imperial military experience to a war that had exposed the limits of British power. His appointment signaled a dramatic escalation that would eventually turn the tide of the Second Boer War.

1900 AD

1954–1968 U.S. social movementLate 20th Century

1960

Civil rights movement

Civil rights movement: Four African-American students staged the first of more than five months of sit-ins at an F.

The civil rights movement was a social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans. The movement had origins in the Reconstruction era in the late 19th century, and modern roots in the 1940s.

1960 AD