Today:
430: St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential Christian theologians, dies in what is now Annaba, Algeria.
1565: The first Spanish settlement in North America is established at St. Augustine, Florida, by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés.
1833: The Slavery Abolition Act is given Royal Assent, leading to the abolition of slavery throughout most of the British Empire.
1898: Caleb Bradham renames his carbonated soft drink “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”
1937: The Toyota Motor Corporation is founded as an independent company by Kiichiro Toyoda.
1955: Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, is brutally murdered in Mississippi for allegedly offending a white woman, becoming a catalyst for the American Civil Rights Movement.
1963: During the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
1968: Protesters against the Vietnam War clash with police in the streets of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.
1996: The final decree of divorce is issued for Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales.
2020: Actor Chadwick Boseman, known for his role as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dies of colon cancer.