Today:
1489 – The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice, ending the independent rule of Cyprus.
1590 – Battle of Ivry: King Henry IV of France defeats the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion.
1647 – Thirty Years’ War: The Peace of Ulm is signed between Sweden and Bavaria, temporarily ending hostilities in southern Germany.
1794 – Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, revolutionizing cotton production in the United States.
1885 – The Mikado, an opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premieres at the Savoy Theatre in London.
1900 – The United States Congress ratifies the Gold Standard Act, establishing gold as the sole basis for redeeming paper currency.
1910 – Lakeview Gusher, the largest accidental oil spill in U.S. history, begins in California.
1951 – Korean War: United Nations forces recapture Seoul from Chinese and North Korean troops.
1964 – A jury in Dallas finds Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy.
2018 – Stephen Hawking, world-renowned theoretical physicist, passes away at the age of 76.