Also on this day

Henry VIII marries sixth and final wife Catherine Parr.

The Rolling Stones, right, perform their first concert.

The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

Rubicon river, an act of war. Fighting followed and Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was beheaded, and where Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra.

He set about eradicating his enemies and was soon appointed dictator of Rome, with many of the common people taking his side. But the city’s politicians bridled as Rome had been a republic for centuries since the overthrow of Tarquin, and they feared absolute power could see a de facto monarchy reborn.

In 44BC, Caesar declared himself dictator for life and his enemies swooped. On the Ides of March (March 15) he was stabbed 23 times in one of history’s most infamous assassinations. His death led directly to the end of the Republic and the start of the Roman Empire.

Caesar was just 55 when he was killed, but the impact of his life is immeasurable. The Russian word Tsar, and the German Kaiser, are derived from his name. “The die is cast”, “crossing the Rubicon” and “I came, I saw, I conquered” are all phrases attributed to Caesar. Even the month of his birth is named after him.

Question: Which US writer, whose work includes 1854’s Walden, was born this day 1817?

Last week I asked which English politician, who died on July 5, 1826, founded Singapore? The answer is SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES