On This Day
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Antoine de Beauterne announces he has killed the Beast of Gévaudan, but was later proved wrong by more attacks

The Beast of Gévaudan is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part...

The Beast of Gévaudan is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains of south-central France between 1764 and 1767.

The attacks, which covered an area spanning 90 by 80 kilometres (56 by 50 mi), were said to have been committed by one or more beasts of a tawny stripes and a dark stripe down its back, a tail "longer than a wolf's" ending in a tuft according to contemporary eyewitnesses. It was said to attack with formidable teeth and claws, and appeared to be the size of a calf or cow and seemed to fly or bound across fields towards its victims.

Historical Significance

The Beast of Gévaudan is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains of south-central France between 1764 and 1767.

Events Before

  1. Parents of English novelist Jane Austen, cleric George Austen and Cassandra Leigh marry

    Jane Austen (AW-stin; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English writer known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the...

  2. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II (17) weds queen Maria Luisa of Spain (18) in Innsbruck, Austria

    Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II (17) weds queen Maria Luisa of Spain (18) in Innsbruck, Austria

  3. Future 2nd American President John Adams (28) weds Abigail Smith (19) in Weymouth, Massachusetts (marriage lasts 54 year

    Future 2nd American President John Adams (28) weds Abigail Smith (19) in Weymouth, Massachusetts (marriage lasts 54 years)

  4. A fire at Harvard University destroys Governor Winthrop's Telescope and its library of 5,000 books is mostly lost

    A fire at Harvard University destroys Governor Winthrop's Telescope and its library of 5,000 books is mostly lost

  5. St. Louis, Missouri founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclède

    Pierre Laclède Liguest or Pierre Laclède (22 November 1729 – 20 June 1778) was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and stepson Auguste Chouteau, founded St.

Events After

  1. Future Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck (28) weds Dorothy Cavendish (16)

    Future Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck (28) weds Dorothy Cavendish (16)

  2. Stamp Act declared unconstitutional in Virginia

    Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains.

  3. Dutch governor Falck and King Keerthisiri Rajasinghe of Kandy sign Treaty of Batticaloa

    Dutch governor Falck and King Keerthisiri Rajasinghe of Kandy sign Treaty of Batticaloa

  4. Antonio de Ulloa takes possession of Louisiana Territory from the French

    Antonio de Ulloa takes possession of Louisiana Territory from the French

  5. Willem V (18) becomes governor of United Provinces

    Willem V (18) becomes governor of United Provinces

More from the 1760s

Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defe

Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defeats the mostly Hindu Maratha Empire in northern India. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people are killed in the fighting, and about 40,000 Maratha prisoners are massacred afterward.

Treaty of Paris ends the French-Indian War, France agrees to surrender Canada to Great Britain

The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, following Great Britain and…

Austria, Prussia and Saxony sign the Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Sev

Austria, Prussia and Saxony sign the Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Seven Years' War

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 21, 1765?
The Beast of Gévaudan is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains of south-central France between 1764 and 1767. The attacks, which covered an area spanning 90 by 80 kilometres (56 by 50 mi), were said to have been committed by one or more beasts of a tawny stripes and a dark stripe down its back, a tail "longer than a wolf's" ending in a tuft according to contemporary eyewitnesses. It was said to attack with formidable teeth and claws, and appeared to be the size of a calf or cow and seemed to fly or bound across fields towards its victims.
Why is Antoine de Beauterne announces he has killed the Beast of Gévaudan, but was l... significant?
The Beast of Gévaudan is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains of south-central France between 1764 and 1767.

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September 21 in HistoryYear 1765