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Today:

1419 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, was assassinated by followers of the Dauphin (later King Charles VII) of France.

1547 – The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh took place, the last pitched battle between England and Scotland.

1608 – John Smith was elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia.

1776 – Nathan Hale volunteered to spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

1813 – The United States defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

1846 – Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine invention in the United States.

1897 – A London taxi driver became the first to be convicted for drunk driving.

1939 – Canada declared war on Germany in World War II, eight days after Britain and France.

1960 – Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the Olympic marathon at the Rome Summer Olympics while running barefoot.

2002 – Switzerland became a member of the United Nations.