1284 ”“ The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.

1506 ”“ The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Crimean Khanate in the Battle of Kletsk

1538 ”“ Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

1775 ”“ Daniel O’Connell, Irish politician (d. 1847) was born

1787 ”“ Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

1806 ”“ Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor, abdicates ending the Holy Roman Empire.

1809 ”“ Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet (d. 1892) was born

1819 ”“ Norwich University is founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States.

1825 ”“ Bolivia gains independence from Spain.

1861 ”“ The United Kingdom annexes Lagos, Nigeria.

1861 ”“ Edith Roosevelt, American First Lady (d. 1948) was born

1870 ”“ Franco-Prussian War: the Battle of Wörth results in a decisive Prussian victory.

1881 ”“ Sir Alexander Fleming, Scottish scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1955) was born

1881 ”“ Louella Parsons, American gossip columnist (d. 1972) was born

1887 ”“ Dudley Benjafield, British racing driver (d. 1957) was born

1890 ”“ At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair.

1901 ”“ Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation.

1902 ”“ Dutch Schultz, American organized crime figure (d. 1935) was born

1908 ”“ Will Lee, American actor (d. 1982) was born

1910 ”“ Charles Crichton, British film director (d. 1999) was born

1911 ”“ Lucille Ball, American actress (d. 1989) was born

1914 ”“ World War I: First Battle of the Atlantic ”“ two days after the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany over the German invasion of Belgium, ten German U-boats leave their base in Helgoland to attack Royal Navy warships in the North Sea.

1917 ”“ Robert Mitchum, American actor (d. 1997) was born

1922 ”“ Sir Freddie Laker, English entrepreneur (d. 2006) was born

1924 ”“ Samuel Bowers, American criminal and radical leader (d. 2006) was born

1925 ”“ Barbara Bates, American actress (d. 1969) was born

1926 ”“ Elisabeth Beresford, British author (d. 2010) was born

1926 ”“ Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

1926 ”“ In New York City, the Warner Brothers’ Vitaphone system premieres with the movie Don Juan starring John Barrymore.

1926 ”“ Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping.

1928 ”“ Andy Warhol, American artist (d. 1987) was born

1930 ”“ Judge Joseph Force Crater steps into a taxi in New York and disappears never to be seen again.

1932 ”“ Howard Hodgkin, British painter was born

1937 ”“ Barbara Windsor, English actress was born

1940 ”“ Estonia was illegally annexed by the Soviet Union.

1945 ”“ World War II: Hiroshima is devastated when the atomic bomb “Little Boy” is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning.

1956 ”“ Stepfanie Kramer, American actress was born

1956 ”“ After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network makes its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena in New York in the Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena series.

1960 ”“ Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation.

1962 ”“ Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian-born Hong Kong actress was born

1962 ”“ Jamaica becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

1964 ”“ Prometheus, a bristlecone pine and the world’s oldest tree, is cut down.

1965 ”“ US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.

1965 ”“ The largest swimming pool in Europe was opened in Fürstenfeld, Austria.

1966 ”“ Braniff Airlines Flight 250 crashes in Falls City, NE killing all 42 on board.

1970 ”“ M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-born American film director was born

1972 ”“ Geri Halliwell, British singer (Spice Girls) was born

1973 ”“ Daniel Clifford, English chef was born

1976 ”“ Melissa George, Australian actress was born

1980 ”“ Danny Collins, Welsh footballer was born

1982 ”“ Romola Garai, British actress and model was born

1983 ”“ Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer was born

1988 ”“ The Tompkins Square Park Police Riot in New York City spurs a reform of the NYPD, held responsible for the event.

1990 ”“ Gulf War: the United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

1991 ”“ Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW debuts as a publicly available service on the Internet.

1996 ”“ NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms.

1997 ”“ Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747-300, crashes into the jungle on Guam on approach to airport, killing 228.

2001 ”“ Erwadi fire incident, 28 mentally ill persons tied to chain were burnt to death at a faith based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu.

2001 ”“ Ty Simpkins, American actor

2008 ”“ A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d’état in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

2011 ”“ A helicopter containing members of Navy SEAL 6 is shot down in Afghanistan killing 38.