1415 Jerome of Prague (1379–1416), a friend of Bohemian reformer John Hus, was seized by church authorities meeting at the Council of Constance.
1446 Filippo Brunelleschi, founder of Renaissance architecture, died (b. 1377).
1452 Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance artist, was born in Florence, Italy (d. 2 May 1519).
1530 Martin Luther remained at Coburg during the Diet of Augsburg until 4 October 1530.
1531 This was the deadline given by Charles V for the Lutherans to accept the Confutation of the Augsburg Confession.
1610 Robert Parsons (b. 24 June 1546), leader of the English Jesuits, died.
1632 Gustavus Adolphus (1594–1632) defeated Tilly, Flemish field marshal and commander in chief of the Roman Catholic field forces at the outbreak of the Thirty Years’ War, on the Lech River.
1659 Simon Dach, hymnist, died in Koenigsberg (b. 29 July 1605, Memel).
1670 Jean Daillé, French Protestant preacher and spokesman, died (b. 6 January 1594, Châtellerault, France).
1729 German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) conducted the second performance of his monumental Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (the Saint Matthew Passion).
1841 The Altenburg Debate on church and ministry between C. F. W. Walther and F. A. Marbach began.
1854 George Henry Schodde, professor at Capital University, was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (d. 15 September 1917).
1862 Leila Naylor Morris, American Methodist minister’s wife and hymn writer, was born in Pennsville, Ohio (d. 23 July 1929, Auburn, New York).
1888 Matthew Arnold, English poet, died (b. 24 December 1822).
1889 Father Joseph Damien (b. 3 January 1840), Belgian Roman Catholic missionary priest in Hawaii, died.
1892 Corrie ten Boom, Dutch Christian devotional author and speaker, was born (d. 15 April 1983).
1900 Ernest F. Scaer was born in Winfield, Kansas (d. 3 December 1971). The son of Prof. Charles Scaer, he graduated from Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) in 1922 and did graduate work at Columbia University from 1922 to 1924. He served as an assistant at California Concordia College (Oakland, California) from 1924 to 1926 and as a professor there 1926 to 1944. He was dean of the school from 1944 to 1950, acting president from 1950 to 1952 and in 1956 and president from 1957 to 1965.
1942 Mons Olson Wee, Norwegian Lutheran professor, died (b. 13 May 1871, Etne, Bremnes canton, Hordaland Co., Norway).
1946 An LCMS teacher training program was begun in Nigeria.
1967 John Theodore Mueller, professor and theologian at Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis), died (b. 5 April 1885, Town Freedom, Waseca County, Minnesota).
1969 Otto Emanuel Melchior Sohn, professor at Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) died (b. 10 October 1894).