December 16, 1485: Born, Catherine of Aragon. Though she is best known as the discarded first wife of Henry VIII, Catherine was a formidable force in her own right. She championed education, religion, and the humanities, and even served as Regent of England for 6 months, managing the war with Scotland while Henry fought battles in France. Her enemy, Thomas Cromwell, said of her, "If not for her sex, she could have defied all the heroes of History."
