Today:
811 – Battle of Pliska: Nikephoros I, Byzantine emperor, began the campaign that culminated in his defeat and death against the Bulgarians.
1829 – William Austin Burt received a U.S. patent for the typographer, considered the first practical typewriter developed in the United States.
1885 – Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States and commanding general during the Civil War, died at the age of 63.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company sold its first automobile, marking the beginning of one of the world’s largest automakers.
1952 – The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 began as the Free Officers Movement overthrew the government of King Farouk.
1962 – Telstar 1 successfully transmitted the first live transatlantic television signal.
1972 – Landsat 1 Launch: NASA launched the first Landsat Earth-observation satellite, beginning the longest continuous record of Earth’s surface from space.
1982 – International Whaling Commission Commercial Whaling Moratorium: The International Whaling Commission voted to ban commercial whaling, with the moratorium taking effect in 1986.
1995 – Alan Shepard, the first American in space and commander of Apollo 14, died at the age of 71.
2005 – Sharm el-Sheikh bombings struck the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 88 people and injuring more than 150.