February 23

in History

Diocletian Destroys Church — Rome's last great persecution of Christians begins

Nicomedia, Roman EmpireClassical

303

Diocletian Destroys Church

Rome's last great persecution of Christians begins

Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, igniting eight years of the most severe persecution Christians had ever endured under Roman rule. Churches were razed, scriptures burned, and clergy imprisoned across the empire. The Diocletianic Persecution was Rome's final, desperate attempt to crush a faith that had grown too large to contain. Within two decades, Christianity would become the empire's official religion.

303 AD

Tugela Heights, South AfricaEarly 20th Century

1900

Battle at Hart's Hill

Britain fails to take a crucial ridge

During the Battle of the Tugela Heights, British forces made their first attempt to capture Hart's Hill, a strategic position held by Boer defenders. The assault failed, repulsed by withering rifle fire from entrenched positions. The setback at Hart's Hill underscored the difficulty of dislodging Boer forces from their defensive positions and the high cost in blood that each yard of South African soil demanded from the British Empire.

1900 AD

Early 20th Century

1945

Joe Rosenthal

American photographer Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the.

American photographer Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima, an image that was later reproduced on the Marine Corps War Memorial.

1945 AD