January 30: John Milton, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, and the English Civil War

On January 30, 1649, Charles I of England was executed. The Puritan pamphleteer and poet John Milton claimed that Charles' fall from power would usher in Judgment Day. A pamphleteer with differing political views held that it was actually Oliver Cromwell who was the Beast of Revelation, with a name adding up to the number 666.