Today:
420: Saint Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate Bible, dies in Bethlehem.
1399: Henry IV is proclaimed King of England, beginning the reign of the House of Lancaster.
1791: Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” premieres in Vienna, Austria.
1882: The world’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant begins operation in Appleton, Wisconsin.
1927: Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run of the season, setting a record that stood for 34 years.
1938: The Munich Agreement is signed by leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, ceding the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany.
1954: The USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, is commissioned by the United States Navy.
1962: James Meredith, accompanied by federal officials, registers for classes at the University of Mississippi, integrating the institution.
1966: Bechuanaland gains its independence from the United Kingdom and becomes the Republic of Botswana.
2005: The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten publishes controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, sparking international protests.