Niccolò Machiavelli, born on this date in 1469, is traditionally credited with completing his manuscript for 'The Prince' around this period, reshaping political thought forever.

English forces annihilated a Scottish invasion army in Northumberland, killing King James IV of Scotland along with much of his nobility in a single afternoon.

Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas.