Today:
1506 – The first contingent of the Swiss Guard arrived at the Vatican to serve as the personal bodyguards of Pope Julius II.
1689 – The Convention Parliament convened to determine if James II of England had vacated the throne when he fled to France.
1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrived in Brazil, fleeing from Napoleon’s forces during the Peninsular War.
1840 – British colonists officially founded the town of Wellington, New Zealand.
1863 – The January Uprising began in Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus as part of a resistance against Russian rule.
1879 – The Battle of Isandlwana took place during the Anglo-Zulu War, resulting in a decisive Zulu victory.
1879 – On the same day, the Battle of Rorke’s Drift began, where a small British garrison successfully defended against a much larger Zulu force.
1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom died at the age of 81, marking the end of the Victorian era.
1944 – Operation Shingle, the Allied amphibious landing at Anzio during World War II, began in Italy.
1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion nationwide.