Today:
869 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople convened, which led to the separation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
1450 – Louis IX of France was crowned King of France in Reims.
1582 – The Gregorian calendar was introduced in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, replacing the Julian calendar.
1789 – French Revolution: Women of Paris marched on Versailles, forcing the royal family to relocate to Paris.
1793 – The French Revolution’s Reign of Terror began under the Committee of Public Safety.
1813 – The Battle of the Thames took place in Ontario, Canada, where British forces were defeated by the United States, and the Shawnee leader Tecumseh was killed.
1864 – Most of Calcutta (now Kolkata) was destroyed by a cyclone; an estimated 60,000 people died.
1908 – Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
1962 – The Beatles released their first single, “Love Me Do” in the United Kingdom.
1986 – British newspaper *The Sunday Times* reported on Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program based on revelations by Mordechai Vanunu.