Today:
1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City) by the Dutch colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant.
1775 – The Siege of Boston begins during the American Revolutionary War, following the battles of Lexington and Concord.
1889 – Adolf Hitler is born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary.
1912 – Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, officially opens in Boston, Massachusetts.
1914 – The Ludlow Massacre occurs in Colorado, where the Colorado National Guard and Colorado Fuel & Iron Company camp guards attack striking coal miners, killing over 20 people.
1945 – During World War II, Soviet forces begin their assault on Berlin, starting the Battle of Berlin.
1961 – Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion: Cuban forces defeat U.S.-backed exiles attempting to invade Cuba.
1972 – Apollo 16, the fifth mission to land humans on the Moon, successfully lands on the lunar surface.
1999 – The Columbine High School massacre takes place in Colorado; two students kill 13 people before committing suicide.
2008 – Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win an IndyCar race, taking victory in the Indy Japan 300.