On November 16, 1532, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish explorer and conquistador, springs a trap on the Incan emperor, Atahualpa. With fewer than 200 men against several thousand, Pizarro lures Atahualpa to a feast in the emperor's honor and then opens fire on the unarmed Incans. Pizarro's men massacre the Incans and capture Atahualpa, forcing him to convert to Christianity before eventually killing him.
Pizarro's timing for conquest was perfect. By 1532, the Inca Empire was embroiled in a civil war that had decimated the population and divided the people's loyalties. Atahualpa, the younger son of former Incan ruler Huayna Capac, had just deposed his half-brother Huascar and was in the midst of reuniting his kingdom when Pizarro arrived in 1531, with the endorsement of Spain's King Charles V. On his way to the Incan capital, Pizarro learned of the war and began recruiting soldiers still loyal to Huascar.Pizarro met Atahualpa just outside Cajamarca, a small Incan town tucked into a valley of the Andes. Sending his brother Hernan as an envoy, Pizarro invited Atahualpa back to Cajamarca for a feast in honor of Atahualpa's ascendance to the throne. Though he had nearly 80,000 soldiers with him in the mountains, Atahualpa consented to attend the feast with only 5,000 unarmed men. He was met by Vicente de Valverde, a friar traveling with Pizarro. While Pizarro's men lay in wait, Valverde urged Atahualpa to convert and accept Charles V as sovereign. Atahualpa angrily refused, prompting Valverde to give the signal for Pizarro to open fire. Trapped in tight quarters, the panicking Incan soldiers made easy prey for the Spanish. Pizarro's men slaughtered the 5,000 Incans in just an hour. Pizarro himself suffered the only Spanish injury: a cut on his hand sustained as he saved Atahualpa from death.
Realizing Atahualpa was initially more valuable alive than dead, Pizarro kept the emperor in captivity while he made plans to take over his empire. In response, Atahualpa appealed to his captors' greed, offering them a room full of gold and silver in exchange for his liberation. Pizarro consented, but after receiving the ransom, Pizarro brought Atahualpa up on charges of stirring up rebellion. By that time, Atahualpa had played his part in pacifying the Incans while Pizarro secured his power, and Pizarro considered him disposable. Atahualpa was to be burned at the stake—the Spanish believed this to be a fitting death for a heathen—but at the last moment, Valverde offered the emperor clemency if he would convert. Atahualpa submitted, only to be executed by strangulation. The day was August 29, 1533.Fighting between the Spanish and the Incas would continue well after Atahualpa's death as Spain consolidated its conquests. Pizarro's bold victory at Cajamarca, however, effectively marked the end of the Inca Empire and the beginning of the European colonization of South America.
American Revolution
1776 : Fort Washington Is Captured
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fort-washington-is-captured
Automotive
1901 : Riker Torpedo Racer sets the world speed record for electric cars
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/riker-torpedo-racer-sets-the-world-speed-record-for-electric-cars
Civil War
1863 : Rebels fail to defeat Yankees at the Battle of Campbell Station
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/-battle-of-campbell-station-tennessee
Cold War
1945 : German scientists brought to United States to work on rocket technology
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/german-scientists-brought-to-united-states-to-work-on-rocket-technology
Crime
1957 : Ed Gein kills final victim Bernice Worden
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ed-gein-kills-final-victim-bernice-worden
Disaster
1999 : Construction begins on deadly bonfire
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/construction-begins-on-deadly-bonfire
General Interest
1776 : Hessians capture Fort Washington
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hessians-capture-fort-washington
1907 : Oklahoma enters the Union
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/oklahoma-enters-the-union
1988 : Benazir Bhutto elected leader of Pakistan
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/benazir-bhutto-elected-leader-of-pakistan
Hollywood
2001 : First Harry Potter film opens
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-harry-potter-film-opens
Literary
1849 : Fyodor Dostoevsky is sentenced to death
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fyodor-dostoevsky-is-sentenced-to-death
Music
1959 : The Sound of Music premieres on Broadway
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-sound-of-music-premieres-on-broadway
Old West
1821 : Becknell opens trade on the Santa Fe Trail
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/becknell-opens-trade-on-the-santa-fe-trail
Presidential
1973 : Nixon supports construction of the Alaskan oil pipeline
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-supports-construction-of-the-alaskan-oil-pipeline
Sports
1957 : Notre Dame ends Oklahoma record winning streak
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/notre-dame-ends-oklahoma-record-winning-streak
Vietnam War
1961 : Kennedy decides to increase military aid to Saigon
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-decides-to-increase-military-aid-to-saigon
1970 : Ky defends South Vietnamese operations in Cambodia
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ky-defends-south-vietnamese-operations-in-cambodia
1971 : U.S. provides support to beleaguered Cambodians
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-provides-support-to-beleaguered-cambodians
World War I
1914 : New Fatherland League launched in Germany
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-fatherland-league-launched-in-germany
World War II
1941 : Goebbels publishes his screed of hate
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/goebbels-publishes-his-screed-of-hate
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