363

 Roman Emperor Julian is killed during retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by troops on the battlefield.

1483

Richard Plantagenet, duke of Gloucester, began his reign as Richard III after usurping power from his nephew, Edward V.

1794

Battle of Fleurus: major victory by forces of the First French Republic under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan over the Coalition Army (Great Britain, Hanover, Dutch Republic, and Habsburgs) first use of reconnaissance balloon.

1870

Richard Wagner’s opera “Valkyrie”, second in his Ring Cycle premieres in Munich, featuring “Ride of the Valkyries”.

1906

 Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz in a Renault AK 90CV wins 1st Grand-Prix motor racing event in Le Mans, France.

1916

Cleveland Indians experiment with numbers on jerseys in a game against Chicago WS; first time MLB players identified by numbers corresponding to those on scorecard.

1917

During World War I, the first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops land in France at the port of Saint-Nazaire.

1945

The Charter of the United Nations was signed in San Francisco.

1948

U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade. (Berlin Airlift)

1963

During the Cold War, U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” in West-Berlin.

1965

 James Baldwin’s 1954 stage drama “The Amen Corner” closes at Ethel Barrymore Theater, NYC, after 84 performances

1977

Elvis Presley performed in public for the last time.

1979

After almost 20 years of professional fights, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali announced his retirement from boxing.

1979

“Moonraker”, 11th James Bond film starring Roger Moore, premieres in London.

1993

In retaliation for an Iraqi plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during his April visit to Kuwait, President Bill Clinton ordered U.S. warships to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iraqi intelligence headquarters in downtown Baghdad.

1997

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was first published, in London; the book launched the hugely popular series about a boy wizard.

2016

Panama Canal’s third set of locks opens for commercial traffic, doubling the Canal’s capacity at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion.