Today:
1394 – King Charles VI of France orders the expulsion of all Jews from France.
1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches the island of Dominica on his second voyage to the Americas.
1534 – English Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy, establishing King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
1783 – The American Continental Army is disbanded after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolutionary War.
1838 – The Times of India, the world’s largest-circulated English-language daily newspaper, is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
1903 – Panama declares independence from Colombia, paving the way for the construction of the Panama Canal.
1911 – Chevrolet officially enters the automotive market in competition with the Ford Model T.
1957 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2, the second spacecraft to orbit Earth, carrying the first living creature, a dog named Laika.
1973 – NASA launches Mariner 10, which later becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Mercury.
1992 – Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is elected the 42nd President of the United States, defeating incumbent President George H. W. Bush.