Today:
1535: The sun dog phenomenon is observed and recorded in Stockholm, Sweden.
1657: Dutch Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam defeats a Spanish fleet in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
1775: The Siege of Boston begins during the American Revolutionary War.
1862: Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the first successful test of pasteurization.
1902: Pierre and Marie Curie successfully isolate radium chloride.
1912: Fenway Park in Boston officially opens for its first game.
1946: The League of Nations formally dissolves, transferring its remaining functions to the United Nations.
1972: The Apollo 16 lunar module lands on the moon in the Descartes Highlands.
1999: The Columbine High School massacre takes place in Littleton, Colorado.
2010: The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, initiating one of the largest marine oil spills in history.