Special Sub-Topic: Dateline: 1630 Click Here To Play: Dateline: 1630

The first execution in the British colonies (America) took place on September 30, 1630. What was the crime and what was the method of execution?

Murder- hanging. The condemned was named John Billington, and the hanging took place at New Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Speaking of executions, in 1629 and 1630, about 124 people were executed for witchcraft in what country?

Germany. The Teutonic Order at Mergentheim was responsible for this German witch-hunt. The most prolific witch hunter was probably Bishop Philipp Adolf von Ehrenberg, who, in his eight years as the prince- bishopric of Wuerzburg, ordered the execution of 900 suspected witches. Among these unfortunates were his own nephew, nineteen priests, and several small children.

In 1630, the famous astronomer Johann (or Johannes) Kepler died in Prague at the age of 59. For what was he best known?

Laws of planetary motion. Although he also studied stars and comets, Kepler was best known for his Laws of Planetary Motion, which govern the paths of the planets around the sun.

What palace, designed by Salomon de Brosse, was completed in 1630 after 15 years?

Luxembourg Palace. The Parisian palace was built for Marie de Medici, wife of King Henri IV of France and then Queen Mother. Inside was a series of paintings by Rubens that depicted scenes of her life.

On November 9, 1630, the first ferry route in America opened. What river did it service?

Charles. The ferry route ran the short distance from Boston to Charlestown in Massachusetts.

In July 1630, during the Thirty Years' War, Gustavus Adolphus II landed on the coast of Pomerania. He was King of ...?

Sweden. The Thirty Years' War is generally divided into four periods: 1) The Bohemian period, 1618-1625; 2) The Danish period, 1625-1629; 3) The Swedish period, 1630-35; and 4) The Swedish-French period, 1635-48. The Swedish period was mainly a political struggle in which the Swedes under Gustavus were looking to expand their territory. By capturing Pomerania and the coastal areas of Prussia (both largely in modern-day Poland), they would have turned the Baltic region into Swedish territory.

In 1630, Abd al-Fattah Fuman completed a history of the province of Gilan in this country.

Iran. This region was noted for the production of silk, which was the most important export of the Safavid Empire.

In 1630, a Dutch armada captured the cities of Recife and Olinda in what is now this country.

Brazil. At the time, the area was colonized by the Portugese. The Dutch remained in the area until only 1654, when the Portugese threw them out; however, the two countries continued to fight over what is now Brazil.

1630 was the first year of the Great Migration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. From 1630 to 1642, how many settlers came to Massachusetts from England?

16,000. Along with them, they brought smallpox, which killed hundreds of the native Americans, who did not have immunity to the European disease.

"Death's Duell", by this famous English poet, was published in 1630.

John Donne. John Donne (1572-1631) was regarded as the greatest of the English metaphysical poets. His poems, most of which were melancholy, centered on death and religion.