January 20

King Charles I was King of England in the 17th century. He was perhaps more ambitious than most, because he was also King of Scotland, King of Ireland, and King of Scotland. Trust me; you did not want the job of designing his business cards. I imagine it would be a bit of an understatement to say that he was not particularly beloved by his subjects. On the 20th in 1649, Charles was put on trial for treason and other high crimes. One contribution Charles may have made to the justice system of his kingdoms was to streamline it; he was executed by beheading on the 30th.