Today:
55 B.C.E.: Roman General Julius Caesar’s fleet arrives off the coast of Britain for the first time. This marked the beginning of the Roman conquest of Britain.
1346: During the Hundred Years’ War, the English army, led by Edward III, defeated a much larger French army at the Battle of Crécy. This battle is notable for the devastating effectiveness of the English longbow.
1789: The National Constituent Assembly in France adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This foundational document of the French Revolution outlined the individual and collective rights of all men.
1883: The volcanic island of Krakatoa in Indonesia began a series of catastrophic eruptions. The explosions were heard thousands of miles away and generated tsunamis that killed tens of thousands of people.
1920: The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was certified, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a decades-long suffrage movement.
1939: The first-ever televised Major League Baseball game was broadcast. The game was between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.
1966: The South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) launched its first major military operation against South African rule in what is now Namibia, marking a significant escalation in the Namibian War of Independence.
1970: The Women’s Strike for Equality took place across the United States. Organized by the National Organization for Women (NOW), the nationwide demonstration called for equal employment and educational opportunities and for the establishment of childcare centers.
1978: Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected Pope John Paul I. His papacy would be one of the shortest in history, lasting only 33 days.
2009: Jaycee Dugard was found alive after being held captive for 18 years. Her reappearance brought an end to a long and baffling missing person case.