Today:
1778 – France recognizes the United States as an independent nation by signing the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
1788 – Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds the settlement of Singapore.
1840 – The Treaty of Waitangi is signed, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
1895 – Baseball legend George Herman Babe Ruth is born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1911 – Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, is born in Tampico, Illinois.
1945 – Reggae pioneer Bob Marley is born in Nine Mile, Jamaica.
1952 – Elizabeth II ascends to the throne of the United Kingdom and her other realms upon the death of her father, King George VI.
1959 – Jack Kilby files the first patent for the integrated circuit, a foundational invention for modern electronics.
2023 – A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Turkey and northern Syria, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.