Today:
927 – Æthelstan became the first king to rule a unified England after securing the submission of the kings of Wales and Scotland.
1543 – Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
1690 – Protestant forces led by William III of England defeated the army of James II of England at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.
1862 – The Medal of Honor was authorized by the U.S. Congress for enlisted members of the Army, becoming the nation’s highest military decoration.
1917 – During World War I, the First Battle of Passchendaele began with the opening stages of the Allied offensive in Flanders.
1943 – The Battle of Prokhorovka, one of history’s largest tank battles, took place during the Battle of Kursk.
1962 – The Rolling Stones played their first public concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1979 – The island nation of Kiribati gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1998 – France defeated Brazil 3–0 to win the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, with Zinedine Zidane scoring twice.
2006 – The 2006 Lebanon War began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, leading to a month-long conflict.