Today:
70 AD – Siege of Jerusalem: Roman forces under Titus breached the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the destruction of the Second Temple later that month.
1265 – Simon de Montfort was defeated and killed at the Battle of Evesham, ending the Second Barons’ War in England.
1578 – Sebastian of Portugal was killed at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Morocco, triggering a succession crisis that eventually led to Spanish rule over Portugal.
1790 – The United States Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner of today’s United States Coast Guard, was established by an act of Congress.
1914 – United Kingdom declared war on Germany after Germany refused to withdraw from Belgium, bringing Britain into World War I.
1944 – Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo after more than two years in hiding in Amsterdam.
1964 – The bodies of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were discovered in Mississippi, helping galvanize support for the Civil Rights Movement.
1984 – Carl Lewis won the first of his four gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles by capturing the 100-meter title.
1993 – Jean Chrétien was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada following the resignation of Kim Campbell after the federal election.
2020 – The devastating 2020 Beirut explosion occurred at the Port of Beirut in Beirut, killing more than 200 people, injuring thousands, and causing widespread destruction across the Lebanese capital.