Today:
1411 – Battle of Harlaw, one of the bloodiest battles in Scottish history, takes place.
1534 – French explorer Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and takes possession of the territory in the name of Francis I of France.
1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate and replaced by her 1-year-old son James VI.
1701 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds the trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit.
1823 – Slavery is abolished in Chile.
1911 – American archaeologist Hiram Bingham rediscovers Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.
1915 – The passenger ship SS Eastland capsizes in central Chicago, with the loss of 844 lives.
1923 – The Treaty of Lausanne, which settles the boundaries of modern Turkey, is signed in Switzerland.
1943 – World War II: Operation Gomorrah begins with British and Canadian airplanes bombing Hamburg by night, and American planes bombing by day.
1969 – Apollo 11 returns to Earth safely, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Disclaimer: Snake does not fact check these items. In fact, he doesn’t even read them before posting. Often he doesn’t read them after posting. If you have a complaint, click here