Annus mirabilis

For the poem by John Dryden, see Annus Mirabilis (poem).

Annus mirabilis (pl. anni mirabiles) is a Latin phrase that means "marvelous year", "wonderful year", or "miraculous year". This term has been used to refer to several years during which events of major importance are remembered, notably Isaac Newton's discoveries in 1666 and Albert Einstein's papers published in 1905.

1345–1346 – Edward III

Main article: Hundred Years' War, 1345–1347

Eight years after the start of the Hundred Years' War, large-scale fighting had died down. Edward III of England decided to renew the war more vigorously in 1345. He despatched a small force to Gascony in south-west France under Henry, Earl of Derby and personally led the main English army to northern France. Edward delayed the disembarkation of his army and his fleet was scattered by a storm, rendering this offensive ineffective. Derby was spectacularly successful, winning victories at Bergerac and Auberoche. The following spring, a large French army, led by the heir to the French throne, John, Duke of Normandy, counter-attacked Derby's forces.

Edward responded by landing an army of 10,000 men in northern Normandy. The English devastated much of Normandy and stormed and sacked Caen, slaughtering the population. They cut a swath along the left bank of the Seine to within 20 miles (32 km) of Paris. The English army then turned north and inflicted a heavy defeat on a French army led by their king, Philip VI, at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346. They promptly exploited this by laying siege to Calais. The period from Derby's victory outside Bergerac in late August 1345 to the start of the siege of Calais on 4 September 1346 became known as Edward III's annus mirabilis.

1492 – Catholic Monarchs

In January 1492, Isabella I and Ferdinand II, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, completed the conquest of Granada, concluding the centuries-long Reconquista and bringing an end to Muslim rule over the Iberian Peninsula. Later that year, they would sponsor Christopher Columbus's first voyage across the Atlantic, resulting in the discovery of the Americas on October 12.

That same year, Antonio de Nebrija published his monumental grammar of Spanish, Gramática de la lengua castellana. It is notable as the first work to focus on the grammar of a modern Western European language, rather than Latin.

1543 – The year of science

Main article: Scientific Revolution

In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, outlining his heliocentric model of the universe. This event is traditionally held to be the beginning of the wider Scientific Revolution, which saw the emergence of modern science in Europe. Andreas Vesalius also published his De humani corporis fabrica in 1543, revolutionizing the science of anatomy and the practice of medicine.

1625 – Spanish monarchy

During the course of [1625] Breda surrendered to the Army of Flanders under the command of the incomparable Spinola; the republic of Genoa, Spain's ally and client, was rescued from the onslaught of the combined forces of France and Savoy; a joint Spanish-Portuguese naval expedition drove the Dutch from Bahia in Brazil; and an English expeditionary force was humiliatingly defeated when it attempted an attack on Cadiz.

-– Geoffrey Parker, The Thirty Years' War

A series of Spanish military victories on a global strategic scale obtained in 1625 during the Thirty Years' War, in important military theaters in Europe and America. These military victories were as follows: Siege of Breda, Relief of Genoa, Recapture of Bahia, Battle of San Juan and Defense of Cádiz. Those military actions were immortalized in a series of paintings in the Hall of Realms of the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. Thus, the “reputational” policy promoted by the Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, favourite of Philip IV of Spain, was apparently confirmed by the initial success, and it was in reference to this annus mirabilis for Spanish arms that Olivares delivered probably his most famous pronouncement: "God is Spanish and fights for Spain."

1644–1645 – Montrose

The military successes of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose in Scotland in the War of the Three Kingdoms during 1644–1645 are sometimes called "annus mirabilis".

1666 – The year of wonders

In 1666, Isaac Newton, aged 23, made revolutionary inventions and discoveries in calculus, motion, optics and gravitation. It was in this year that Newton was alleged to have observed an apple falling from a tree, and in which he, in any case, hit upon the law of universal gravitation (Newton's apple). He was afforded the time to work on his theories due to the closure of Cambridge University by an outbreak of plague. He stated and proved the binomial theorem, invented calculus, formulated the universal law of gravitation, and developed a theory of color.

1706 – Grand Alliance

Main article: Battle of Ramillies

In 1706, the Grand Alliance arrayed against Louis XIV of France won resounding victories (the Battle of Ramillies and Siege of Turin) which, after the previous year's failures, has been termed by James Falkner a "Year of Miracles."

1759 – William Pitt

Main article: Annus Mirabilis of 1759

A series of victories by the British armed forces in 1759 in North America, Europe, India, and in various naval engagements caused that year to be referred to, on occasion, as William Pitt's annus mirabilis. It was the turning point of the Seven Years' War.

1871 – W. G. Grace

According to Harry Altham, 1871 was W. G. Grace's annus mirabilis. In all first-class matches in 1871, a total of 17 centuries were scored and Grace accounted for 10 of them, including the first century in a first-class match at Trent Bridge. He averaged 78.25 and the next-best average by a batsman playing more than a single innings was 39.57, barely more than half his figure. His aggregate for the season was 2,739 runs and this was the first time that anyone had scored 2,000 first-class runs in a season; Harry Jupp was next best with 1,068. Grace produced his season's highlight in the South v North match at The Oval when he made his highest career score to date of 268.

1905 – Albert Einstein

Main article: Annus Mirabilis papers

It was in this year that Albert Einstein, aged 26, published important discoveries concerning the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, the special theory of relativity, and the famous E = mc² equation. His four articles, collectively known as his Annus Mirabilis papers, were published in Annalen der Physik in 1905.

1939 – Hollywood's Golden Year

1939 is considered the Annus Mirabilis of Hollywood due to the surprising number of movies released that year that are considered "classics" or foundational of their genre. Some of the films released in 1939 include: The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Gunga Din, Beau Geste, Union Pacific, The Roaring Twenties, Only Angels Have Wings, At the Circus, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Destry Rides Again, Midnight, Wuthering Heights, Young Mr. Lincoln, among many others.

2016–17 – Comebacks in sports

Between June 2016 and March 2017, the world of sports witnessed the largest comebacks in the history of NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and UEFA Champions League. In June 2016, LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3–1 deficit, thus beating a Golden State Warriors side that was coming off a record-breaking league-best record of 73–9. Eight months later, in February 2017, Tom Brady's New England Patriots became the first team in Super Bowl history to overcome a 25 point deficit, doing so in the third quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34–28. In the following month, on 8 March 2017, Lionel Messi's FC Barcelona became the first team in Champions League history to overcome a first leg four-goal deficit to beat PSG 6–5 on aggregate. The latter two became known as 28–3 and la Remontada.

2016–17 – Portugal

Portugal is known for being "the country of the 3 Fs" because of Football, Fado, and Fátima, three of the most distinct parts of the Portuguese culture. Portugal managed to clinch a series of historic and unprecedented victories in all of these three aspects in 2016–17. First in football, when the Portugal national team won their first-ever major trophy at the UEFA Euro 2016 on 10 July. Ten months later, on 13 May 2017, Salvador Sobral won the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 for Portugal with the song "Amar pelos dois", and in doing so, he gave Portugal its first-ever win in the contest. On that same day, Pope Francis visited Fátima on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Marian Apparition of 1917. The period from Portugal's victory at the Euros in July 2016 to the end of Pope Francis's visit to Portugal in May 2017 became known as Portugal's annus mirabilis.

Annus mirabilis of births

• 1946 saw the birth of three Presidents of the United States - Donald Trump (14 June), George W. Bush (6 July), and Bill Clinton (19 August), the most out of any year. All three were born within 10 weeks of each other during the summer, just a little more than nine months after the end of World War II.
• 1963 saw the birth of four future NBA MVPs - Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Karl Malone, the most out of any year.
• 1972 saw the birth of four future Ballon d'Or winners - Zinedine Zidane, Rivaldo, Luís Figo, and Pavel Nedvěd. Four winners of the most prestigious prize in world football were born in 1972, when no other year produced more than two.

See also

• Annus mirabilis (Norway)
• Annus Mirabilis (poem)
• Annus horribilis
• List of Latin phrases

Bibliography

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