Today:
337 – Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans succeed their father Constantine the Great as Roman emperors.
1087 – William the Conqueror dies in Rouen, France, after a reign that shaped English history.
1513 – The Battle of Flodden takes place between England and Scotland; English forces decisively defeat the Scots.
1776 – The Continental Congress officially renames the United Colonies as the United States of America.
1791 – Washington, D.C., is named after George Washington, the first U.S. president.
1850 – California is admitted as the 31st state of the United States.
1926 – The League of Nations admits Germany as a member.
1947 – The first case of a computer bug is recorded, involving a moth trapped in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer.
1956 – Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, boosting his popularity.
2001 – Ahmed Shah Massoud, an Afghan leader, is assassinated by al-Qaeda operatives in a prelude to the September 11 attacks.