August 24, 1456
The printing of the famed Gutenberg Bible was completed by printer and inventor Johannes Gutenberg. It was the first complete book to be printed using movable type.
August 24, 410
Visigoth King Alari and his armies ransacked the city of Rome in retaliation for Rome’s refusal to grant the Goths the land on which they wanted to settle in modern Hungary. The event disillusioned both the Christians and pagans who believed Rome’s piety bestowed on her a divine favor protecting her from political and social upheaval. St. Augustine tackled the dilemma in his writing, City of God.
August 11, 1859
Birth of Katherine Lee Bates, U.S. English teacher, in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She was the daughter and granddaughter of Congregational ministers. Katherine authored more than 20 books, but is remembered for authoring the Christian hymn of patriotism: “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies,” a.k.a. “American The Beautiful.”
May 19, 1740
English revivalist George Whitefield noted in a letter: “True faith is not merely in the head, but in the heart.”
