Today:
1. 1429 – Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a victory over the English, marking a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.
2. 1624 – Louis XIII of France appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his first minister, significantly influencing the political landscape of France and Europe.
3. 1852 – The first edition of Roget’s Thesaurus was published. Compiled by Peter Mark Roget, this book became a crucial resource for writers and speakers.
4. 1945 – Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, was liberated by U.S. forces during the final days of World War II in Europe.
5. 1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day on grounds of being a conscientious objector, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing titles.
6. 1974 – U.S. President Richard Nixon announced the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the Watergate scandal.
7. 1986 – The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was officially announced by the Soviet Union, two days after the event, when the nuclear plant’s reactor No. 4 exploded.
8. 1991 – A tropical cyclone hit Bangladesh, causing over 138,000 deaths and leaving millions homeless, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history.
9. 1992 – Riots began in Los Angeles, California, after a jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, leading to widespread violence and looting.
10. 2011 – Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married at Westminster Abbey in London in a ceremony watched by millions around the world.