Welcome to Vacation Packages Guide
This Day In History
Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded: 8 February 1587 - This Day in History
Mary, Queen of Scots, rival of Queen Elizabeth I of England, was beheaded this day in 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle, her execution a chilling scene redeemed by the great personal dignity with which she met her fate.
More Events on this day:
1974: The use of Skylab, a U.S. space station, came to an end after 171 days.
1915: The landmark film The Birth of a Nation, by D.W. Griffith, made its premiere at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles.
1887: The United States passed the Dawes General Allotment Act, providing for the distribution of American Indian reservation land among individual tribesmen; the bill was sponsored by Sen. Henry L. Dawes.
1867: The Ausgleich (“Compromise”) established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary.
Il Guercino: Biography of the Day
Italian painter Il Guercino (“The Squinting One”), whose frescoes freshly exploited the illusionistic ceiling and made a profound impact on the evolution of 17th-century Roman High Baroque art, was born this day in 1591.
Concise Encyclopedia Book and CD-ROM: Special Price from The Britannica Store
For RSS subscribers The Britannica Store presents a special 20% discount on the Concise Encyclopedia and free CD-ROM. This thoroughly revised and expanded edition of Britannica's most popular publication worldwide is a one-volume encyclopedia containing 28,000 articles accompanied by colorful photographs, diagrams, maps, and flags. The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia has comprehensive coverage on a variety of subjects including, arts, business, geography, history, literature, philosophy, politics, pop culture, science, sports, and more. The book features an easy-to-use format, pronunciation help, relevant tables, and international maps. To see the special price, add the product to your Shopping Cart.