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.