Today:
1431 – Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, after being convicted of heresy.
1539 – Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed in Florida with 600 soldiers in search of gold.
1631 – The Gazette de France, the first French newspaper, was published.
1806 – Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel.
1842 – John Francis attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria in London.
1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law, allowing settlers in those territories to decide on the legality of slavery.
1911 – The first Indianapolis 500 automobile race was held; Ray Harroun won.
1922 – The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
1967 – Biafra declared independence from Nigeria, sparking the Nigerian Civil War.
2012 – Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison for war crimes committed in Sierra Leone.