Today:
1420 – Construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore begins in Florence, Italy.
1714 – The Battle of Gangut: The first important victory of the Russian Navy during the Great Northern War against Sweden.
1782 – George Washington creates the Purple Heart medal (originally called the Badge of Military Merit) as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
1789 – The United States War Department is established.
1909 – Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental automobile trip.
1927 – The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.
1942 – The Battle of Guadalcanal begins as Allied forces, mainly U.S. Marines, land in the Solomon Islands.
1960 – Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) becomes independent from France.
1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal, a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, which is contaminated with toxic waste.
2008 – The start of the Russo-Georgian War over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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