September 23 - Birth of Augustus

In 63 BC, Gaius Octavius Thurinus was born As the first Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus he was one of the most important rulers in western antiquity.

Octavius was born into the Equites class, who were above the ordinary
citizens but below the Patricians. Most important to Ocatvius' rise to
power was a family connection with Julius Caesar as his grand nephew.
Octavius became adopted by Caesar as a son, becoming Julius Caesar
Octavianus (the -anus signifies adoption). When Caesar was murdered
Octavius was able to enter the political scene. He, Marc Antony and
Leipidus made a political alliance that became known as the Second
Triumvirate. Together they defeated the armies of Caesar's assasins in
the Senate at the battle of Phillipi. Soon, the Roman world was under
their control. Lepidus withdrew from the Triumvirate, leaving Octavian
and Marc Antony in power, the former in the west, the latter in the
East.

As always, peace was uneasy. War broke out between Octavian and Antony,
who had allied with Cleopatra. Antony was defeatd at the decisive
battle of Actium, and from then onward, Octavian became sole ruler of
the Roman world. The senate granted him the title of Augustus
("venerable"), a world that embodied the true meaning of Roman Emperor.
In modern perspective, Augustus was very modest in his show of power.
Rome had come to despise king and dictators. Thus, as emperor, Augustus
was careful in creating the public image of a "first citizen" rather
than a tyrant<span style="font-style: italic;"/span>. According to
one saying, he gained power by giving away power. Over the course of
the Empire's history, this ideal declined and later emperors abused
their power almost recklessly.

The legacy of Augustus lies in the formation of the Empire. Under
Augustus, Roman civilization reached a new height. The armies of Rome
swore total allegiance to their emperor. The empire flourished in trade
and prosperity. Literature was at a new golden age. It would take
centuries until the great work of Augustus' reign could be undone...

Other Events:

490 BC The Battle of Marathon
1529 Siege of Vienna Begins (However, I couldn't find any confirmation of this exact date for the two events above).
2002 - Firefox browser released


Edited by Komnenos

Ahh, the great Augustus. I was actually named after him: Octavian... So needless to say, he's always fascinated me.