January 18

in History

Magnentius Proclaimed Emperor — A usurper rises from aristocratic discontent

Gaul, Roman EmpireClassical

350

Magnentius Proclaimed Emperor

A usurper rises from aristocratic discontent

In the province of Gaul, General Magnus Magnentius was proclaimed emperor by Roman aristocrats fed up with the unpopular rule of Emperor Constans. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius had served with distinction in the imperial army, winning the loyalty of soldiers and nobles alike. His usurpation launched three years of civil war against Constantius II, ending only when Magnentius, defeated at the Battle of Mons Seleucus, took his own life.

350 AD

Ivan Petrovsky Was Born — A mathematical mind for the Soviet age

RussiaEarly 20th Century

1901

Ivan Petrovsky Was Born

A mathematical mind for the Soviet age

Ivan Georgiyevich Petrovsky was born in Russia, destined to become one of the Soviet Union's most distinguished mathematicians. His work on partial differential equations and his contributions to solving Hilbert's nineteenth and sixteenth problems earned him international recognition. As rector of Moscow State University, Petrovsky shaped generations of Soviet mathematicians, leaving a legacy that extends far beyond the equations he solved.

1901 AD

1914–1918 global conflictEarly 20th Century

1919

World War I

World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.

World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons.

1919 AD