Today:
1547 – Edward VI was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey following the death of his father, Henry VIII.
1792 – The United States Postal Service was established by President George Washington, creating a more organized mail system.
1816 – Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville premiered in Rome. Despite initial failures, it became one of the greatest operas ever composed.
1835 – Concepción, Chile, was hit by a powerful earthquake estimated at magnitude 8.2, causing widespread destruction.
1872 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City, becoming one of the most significant art institutions in the world.
1935 – Caroline Mikkelsen, a Norwegian-Danish explorer, became the first woman to set foot on Antarctica.
1944 – The “Big Week” bombing campaign began as Allied forces launched heavy air raids on German aircraft production facilities during World War II.
1962 – Astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth aboard Friendship 7, completing three orbits before safely returning.
1986 – The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station, which later became one of the longest continuously inhabited structures in space.
2005 – Spain became the first country to approve a national referendum on the European Union Constitution, though it never came into force.