March 5

in History

Julian Marches Against Persia — Rome's last pagan emperor leads his army east

Antioch, Roman EmpireClassical

363

Julian Marches Against Persia

Rome's last pagan emperor leads his army east

Emperor Julian, the last pagan ruler of Rome, marshaled his legions and set out from Antioch to attack the Sasanian Empire. The campaign was Julian's grand ambition: to match the conquests of Alexander the Great and restore Rome's eastern glory. His army marched through the Syrian desert with supreme confidence, but the campaign would end in Julian's death and a humiliating Roman retreat, marking the end of Rome's offensive ambitions in the East.

363 AD

Prince Friedrich Gunther Born — A German prince in a vanishing world

Schwarzburg, GermanyEarly 20th Century

1901

Prince Friedrich Gunther Born

A German prince in a vanishing world

Friedrich Gunther, Prince of Schwarzburg, was born into one of Germany's ancient noble families at a time when the old European order was beginning to crack. The prince would live through the fall of the German Empire, two world wars, and the division of Germany, witnessing the complete transformation of the world into which he had been born. His life spanned the twilight of European aristocracy and the dawn of the modern age.

1901 AD

World War II — World War II: The Gloster Meteor, the Allies' only operational jet aircraft, made its maiden flight.

1939–1945 global conflictEarly 20th Century

1943

World War II

World War II: The Gloster Meteor, the Allies' only operational jet aircraft, made its maiden flight.

World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people.

1943 AD