What Happened in August 1639

Historical Events

  • Aug 1 French Ursuline nun Marie de l’Incarnation arrives in Quebec on board the Saint-Joseph - goes on to open first school for girls and play a large part in establishing Catholicism in New France [1]
  • Aug 22 Madras (now Chennai), India, founded by the British East India Company on sliver of land bought from local Nayak rulers

Famous Deaths

  • Aug 4 Juan Alarcon y Mendoza, Mexican-Spanish playwright, dies at 58
  • Aug 7 Martin van den Hove, Dutch scientist (b. 1605)
  • Aug 20 Martin Opitz, German poet/historian (Troerinnen), dies at 41