Today:
1389: Geoffrey Chaucer was appointed chief clerk by King Richard II in Westminster.
1543: King Henry VIII of England married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
1580: The Ostrog Bible, one of the earliest printed Bibles in a Slavic language, was published in Ostroh, Ukraine.
1862: The United States Congress officially authorized the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor.
1920: The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed between Lithuania and Soviet Russia, recognizing Lithuania’s independence.
1943: The Battle of Kursk, one of the largest tank battles in history, took place in Russia during World War II, with German and Soviet forces clashing.
1962: The Rolling Stones performed their first concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1967: Race riots began in Newark, New Jersey, leading to significant casualties and injuries.
1975: São Tomé and Príncipe gained independence from Portuguese rule.
1984: Walter F. Mondale named Geraldine A. Ferraro as his running mate in the U.S. presidential elections, making her the first woman to run for office on a major party ticket.