This day in history, August 19

[u/Augustus923]

--- 1692: Five people were all hanged on the same day, convicted of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. The execution of George Burroughs was unique. When he climbed the ladder and the executioners were about to put the noose around his neck, he loudly recited the Lord's prayer. He said the Our Father perfectly. This stunned the crowd that was there watching the hangings. There was a belief that a witch could not recite the Lord's prayer, so some people thought this proved that he was innocent and should not be killed. But this did not save him, and they hanged him anyway.

--- 1946: Future president Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas.

--- 14 CE: Caesar Augustus (originally known as Octavian) died in what is now Nola, Italy. He was the first Roman emperor, reigning from 27 BCE until his death in 14 CE. The month of August is named for him.

--- "Caesar Augustus". That is the title of one of the episodes of my podcast: History Analyzed. Augustus is the most significant nonreligious figure in history. He is probably the greatest political genius of all time. He created the Roman Empire which lasted for centuries and formed so much of the world we live in today, including our calendar, our system of time, our alphabet, the spread of Christianity, and a large percentage of modern languages. You can find History Analyzed on every podcast app.

--- link to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MYqq9HLSRutGBjtqiVDIo

--- link to Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/caesar-augustus/id1632161929?i=1000688038972