📅 Today in HistoryOctober 12

The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia conquer Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. (Julian calendar)

Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by an alliance under Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Gwynedd.

The Nichiren Shōshū branch of Buddhism is founded in Japan.

In the Treaty of Salynas, Lithuania cedes Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights.

Chen Yanxiang, the only person from Indonesia known to have visited dynastic Korea, reaches Seoul after having set out from Java four months before.

Christopher Columbus's first expedition makes landfall on San Salvador Island in the Caribbean. (Julian calendar)

The Delft Explosion devastates the city in the Netherlands, killing more than 100 people.

The Salem witch trials are ended by a letter from Province of Massachusetts Bay Governor William Phips.

War of Jenkins' Ear: A British squadron wins a tactical victory over a Spanish squadron off Havana.

America's first insane asylum opens.