Today:
1388: The Battle of Nafels takes place, where the Swiss Confederation secures a victory against the Habsburgs.
1682: Explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle reaches the mouth of the Mississippi River and claims the region for France, naming it Louisiana.
1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War.
1866: The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is passed by the United States Congress over a presidential veto, granting citizenship and equal rights to all male persons in the U.S. without distinction of race or color.
1939: Marian Anderson performs a historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial after being barred from Constitution Hall due to her race.
1940: Nazi Germany launches Operation Weserubung, invading Denmark and Norway during World War II.
1942: The Battle of Bataan ends with the surrender of approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops, leading to the Bataan Death March.
1959: NASA introduces the Mercury Seven to the public, the first seven astronauts chosen for the United States’ manned space program.
1967: The Boeing 737 makes its first maiden flight, eventually becoming one of the most successful commercial aircraft in history.
2003: Baghdad falls to U.S.-led forces during the Iraq War, symbolized by the toppling of a large statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square.