Today:
1571 – The Battle of Lepanto: The Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states, defeats the Ottoman fleet, marking a significant naval victory in European history.
1763 – King George III issues the Royal Proclamation of 1763, restricting settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains in North America.
1780 – The American Revolutionary War: American Patriot militia defeat British Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina.
1826 – The first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, officially opens in England.
1913 – Henry Ford introduces the first moving assembly line, revolutionizing the manufacturing process and significantly lowering the cost of automobiles.
1940 – Nazi Germany invades Romania during World War II, seizing control of the country’s oil fields and key resources.
1944 – Uprising at Birkenau: Jewish prisoners at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp stage a revolt, destroying one of the crematoriums.
1950 – U.S.-led United Nations forces cross the 38th parallel during the Korean War, advancing into North Korean territory.
1959 – The Soviet Union’s Luna 3 spacecraft takes the first-ever photographs of the far side of the Moon.
2001 – The United States and its allies launch Operation Enduring Freedom, beginning the war in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.