On This Day
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The first public library in the Americas is established when Bishop Palafox y Mendoza donates his personal library of 5,

The first public library in the Americas is established when Bishop Palafox y Mendoza donates his personal library of 5,000 volumes to Tridentine colleges in Puebla, Mexico [1]

A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.

There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries: they are generally supported by taxes (usually local, though any level of government can and may contribute);

they are governed by a board to serve the public interest;

they are open to all, and every community member can access the collection;

they are entirely voluntary, no one is ever forced to use the services provided;

they provide library and information services without charge.

Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an...

Historical Significance

A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes.

Events Before

  1. English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, a significant step toward the New M

    English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, a significant step toward the New Model Army

  2. Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament's New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeats the Royal

    Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament's New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeats the Royalist forces of English King Charles I

  3. French nobleman and soldier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier marries Julie d'Angennes finally, four years afte

    French nobleman and soldier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier marries Julie d'Angennes finally, four years after he gifted her manuscript Guirlande de Julie, composed of 61 madrigals by famous poets

  4. Battle of Jankau in Bohemia: Sweden defeats Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III

    The Battle of Jankau, took place on 6 March 1645 during the later stages of the Thirty Years' War, near Jankov in Bohemia (today the Czech Republic).

  5. Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, resigns as Parliament's supreme commander during the English Civil War

    Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, resigns as Parliament's supreme commander during the English Civil War

Events After

  1. Thirty Years' War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm

    The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history.

  2. Dutch East India Company ship Nieuw Haarlem is shipwrecked without loss of life in shallow waters in Table Bay, Cape of

    Dutch East India Company ship Nieuw Haarlem is shipwrecked without loss of life in shallow waters in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, leading to the founding of the Dutch Cape Colony [1]

  3. Peter Stuyvesant arrives in New Amsterdam

    Peter Stuyvesant (1610 – August 1672) was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was provisionally ceded to the Kingdom...

  4. William II Prince of Orange sworn in as Stadtholder of Holland

    William II Prince of Orange sworn in as Stadtholder of Holland

  5. Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connec

    Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut

More from the 1640s

Francesco Cavalli's opera "Giasone" premieres in Venice (the most popular opera of the 17th century)

Giasone (Jason) is an opera in three acts and a prologue with music by Francesco Cavalli and a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini.

The English Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial for treason and other high crimes

The trial of Charles I took place in January 1649, marking the first time a reigning monarch was tried and executed by his own subjects.

Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 5, 1646?
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries: they are generally supported by taxes (usually local, though any level of government can and may contribute); they are governed by a board to serve the public interest; they are open to all, and every community member can access the collection; they are entirely voluntary, no one is ever forced to use the services provided; they provide library and information services without charge.
Why is The first public library in the Americas is established when Bishop Palafox y... significant?
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes.

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September 5 in HistoryYear 1646