Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Historical Events in 1654

  • Jan 7 Fire after heavy storm destroys two thirds of De Rijp, Netherlands, 1 person dies
  • Jan 26 Portuguese troops conquer last Dutch base on Recife
  • Apr 12 Ordinance of Union between England and Scotland passed by the Council of State
  • Apr 15 England & Netherlands sign peace treaty
  • Apr 21 England & Sweden sign trade agreement
  • Apr 26 Jews are expelled from Brazil
  • May 3 Bridge at Rowley, Massachusetts begins charging tolls for animals
  • May 13 Venetian fleet under Norwegian Admiral Cort Adeler beats Turkish fleet the near the Dardanelles, sinking 15 Turkish galleys
  • May 31 Swedish forces take Dutch-held fort of Fort Casimir on the Delaware River without resistance after the fort runs out of gunpowder [1]
  • Jun 6 Queen Christina of Sweden resigns and converts to Catholicism

Louis XIV Crowned

Jun 7 Louis XIV crowned King of France

World's Oldest Treaty

Jul 20 Anglo-Portuguese treaty is reinforced, England guarantees Portugal’s independence and receives trade concessions

  • Aug 5 French troops occupy Stenay during Franco-Spanish war
  • Aug 22 Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, one of the first Jewish colonists
  • Aug 25 Battle of Arras: Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, failed to take Arras and withdrew to Cambrai.
  • Sep 16 Russian troops occupy Smolensk in Poland
  • Sep 25 England & Denmark sign trade agreement
  • Oct 12 The Delft Explosion (gunpowder) devastates the city of Delft in the Netherlands, killing more than 100 people
  • Oct 15 Prince William of Orange appointed viceroy of Overijssel
  • Nov 21 Richard Johnson, a free black, granted 550 acres in Virginia

Pascal's Vision

Nov 23 French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense, mystical vision that marks him for life.