Born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, Pius IX’s election by the Papal conclave of 1846 came at a time of significant political unrest across Europe.
17th December 497 BCE: The first Saturnalia festival celebrated in ancient Rome
17th December 2020
18th January 1919: The Paris Peace Conference begins
18th January 2021
17th January 1991: Gulf War combat begins with Operation Desert Storm
17th January 2021
11th November 1918: WW1 Armistice of Compiègne is signed
11th November 2020
1st September 1939: Nazi Germany invades Poland
1st September 2018
9th November 1989: East Germany opens the Berlin Wall
9th November 2019