Today:
421 – According to legend, the city of Venice is founded at noon on this day.
1306 – Robert the Bruce is crowned King of Scots at Scone.
1634 – The first settlers arrive in Maryland from England, led by Lord Baltimore.
1807 – The British Parliament abolishes the slave trade in the British Empire.
1821 – The Greek War of Independence begins, leading to independence from the Ottoman Empire.
1911 – The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City kills 146 garment workers.
1947 – A coal mine explosion in Centralia, Illinois, kills 111 miners.
1957 – The Treaty of Rome is signed, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC).
1965 – Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. complete the Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama.
1995 – WikiWikiWeb, the world’s first wiki, is made publicly available by Ward Cunningham.