Today:
1812 – The United States declares war on Great Britain, starting the War of 1812.
1815 – The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, leading to his exile.
1858 – Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that prompts Darwin to publish his theory of evolution.
1873 – Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
1908 – The University of the Philippines is established.
1928 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger.
1940 – Winston Churchill gives his “This was their finest hour” speech to the House of Commons.
1948 – Columbia Records introduces the long-playing (LP) record in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
1953 – The Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the monarchy and declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
1983 – Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger.