Today:
1. 563 BC: Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is traditionally believed to have been born on this date in Lumbini, Nepal.
2. 217: Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated while relieving himself along the road to Carrhae.
3. 1820: The Venus de Milo statue is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos (Melos) by a farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas.
4. 1864: The United States Senate passes the Coinage Act of 1864, which mandates that the inscription “In God We Trust” be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
5. 1904: Longacre Square in Manhattan, New York City, is renamed Times Square after The New York Times moves its headquarters to the newly erected Times Building.
6. 1952: U.S. President Harry Truman orders the seizure of steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.
7. 1974: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth’s record.
8. 1993: The Republic of Macedonia joins the United Nations as the 181st member state.
9. 2004: Darfur conflict: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
10. 2013: The discovery of the mass grave of 796 children is announced in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. The children died between 1925 and 1961 while in the care of a Roman Catholic institution.