1314: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce over the English army.
1497: John Cabot, an Italian explorer sailing for England, makes the first recorded European sighting of North America since the Vikings, likely landing on the coast of present-day Canada.
1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
1675: King Philip’s War begins in colonial New England when Wampanoag warriors raid Swansea, Massachusetts, and massacre English colonists.
1717: The first Masonic Grand Lodge is formed in London.
1812: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman River, beginning their invasion of Russia.
1880: The first performance of “O Canada,” which later becomes the national anthem of Canada, takes place.
1948: The Soviet Union begins the Berlin Blockade, cutting off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin.
1970: The U.S. Senate votes to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
1983: The Space Shuttle Challenger, carrying America’s first female astronaut Sally Ride, lands safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
