Today:
1279 – The Mongol Yuan dynasty, led by Kublai Khan, defeats the Song dynasty at the Battle of Yamen, marking the end of the Song dynasty in China.
1563 – The Edict of Amboise is signed in France, granting limited toleration to Huguenots and temporarily ending the first phase of the French Wars of Religion.
1687 – French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is assassinated by his own men while searching for the Mississippi River delta.
1823 – The United States recognizes the independence of the Central American Federation, which included modern-day Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
1863 – The SS Georgiana, a Confederate blockade runner, is destroyed by Union forces on her maiden voyage near Charleston, South Carolina.
1918 – The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time.
1932 – The Sydney Harbour Bridge is officially opened in Australia.
1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler issues his “Nero Decree,” ordering the destruction of German infrastructure to slow the advancing Allies.
2003 – The United States and its allies begin the invasion of Iraq, launching Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2011 – The Syrian Civil War begins with anti-government protests in the city of Daraa.