Today:
363 — Roman emperor Julian was killed during his campaign against the Sasanian Empire.
1284 — According to legend, the Pied Piper led the children away from Hamelin, Germany.
1409 — The Council of Pisa elected Alexander V as pope, creating another claimant during the Western Schism.
1483 — Richard III became King of England.
1541 — Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conqueror of the Inca Empire, was assassinated in Lima, Peru.
1794 — The Battle of Fleurus took place during the French Revolutionary Wars.
1870 — Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States.
1945 — The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco by representatives of 50 countries.
1963 — President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin.
1974 — The Universal Product Code, or barcode, was first scanned commercially at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.