Events1430 -
Joan of Arc is captured by the
Burgundians while leading an army to relieve
Compiègne. (See
Siege of Compiègne.)1498 -
Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake, in Florence, Italy, on the orders of
Pope Alexander VI1533 - The marriage of King
Henry VIII to
Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.1568 -
Netherlands declared
independence from
Spain.1568 -
Dutch rebels led by
Louis of Nassau, brother of
William I of Orange, defeat
Jean de Ligne, Duke of Aremberg and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the
Eighty Years' War.
1609 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of
Virginia takes place.
1618 - The
Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the
Thirty Years' War.
1701 - After being convicted of
piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain
William Kidd is hanged in
London.
1706 -
Battle of Ramillies - the
John Churchill, 1st
Duke of Marlborough defeats a French army under
Marshal Villeroi.
1805 -
Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned
King of Italy with the
Iron Crown of Lombardy in the
Cathedral of Milan.
1813 - South American
independence leader
Simón Bolívar enters
Mérida, leading the invasion of
Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador ("The Liberator").
1844 - Declaration of the
Báb: Over the prior night the Persian Prophet the
Báb announces his revelation, founding
Bábísm. He announced to the world of the coming of "
He whom God shall make manifest." He is considered the forerunner of
Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the
Bahá'í Faith.
1846 -
Mexican-American War:
Mexico declares war on the
United States.
1863 - Organization of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Battle Creek,
Michigan.1863 - The
Siege of Port Hudson starts.
1873 - The
Canadian Parliament establishes the
North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
1900 -
American Civil War: Sergeant
William Harvey Carney becomes the first
African American to be awarded the
Medal of Honor, for his heroism in the
Assault on the Battery Wagner.
1907 - Unicameral
Parliament of Finland gathered for its first plenary session.
1911 - Dedication ceremony for the
New York Public Library.
1915 -
World War I:
Italy joins the
Allies after they declare war on
Austria-Hungary.
1923 - Launch of Belgium's
SABENA airline.
1929 - The first talking cartoon of
Mickey Mouse, The Karnival Kid, was released.
1933 -
Seabiscuit, legendary American racehorse, is born
1934 -
American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by police and killed in
Black Lake,
Louisiana.1934 - The
Auto-Lite Strike culminated in the "Battle of Toledo," a five-day melee between 1,300 troops of the
Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
1939 - The U.S. Navy
submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of
New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 26 sailors. The remaining 32 crewmen and one passenger are rescued the following day.
1945 -
World War II:
Heinrich Himmler, the head of the
SS, commits suicide while in
Allied custody.1945 - World War II: The
Flensburg government under
Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz was dissolved when its members were captured and arrested by British forces at
Flensburg in Northern Germany.
1949 - The
Federal Republic of Germany is established, and the
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany proclaimed.
1958 -
Explorer I ceases transmission.
1960 -
Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion announces that
Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann has been captured.
1967 -
Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran and blockades the port of Eilat at the northern end of the
Gulf of Aqaba to
Israeli shipping, laying the foundations for the
Six Day War.
1970 - An outbreak of fire occurs in the
Britannia Bridge over the
Menai Straits in north
Wales contributing to its partial destruction and amounting to approximately £1,000,000 worth of fire damage.
1977 - Two
terrorist actions unfold in
The Netherlands: Several dozen
hostages are taken onboard a
train, and about 100 others (mostly children) are held at a Dutch
school. The train siege lasts until
June 11.
1985 -
U.S. engineer Thomas Patrick Cavanagh is sentenced to life in prison for attempting to sell
stealth bomber secrets to the
Soviet Union.
1995 -
Oklahoma City bombing: In
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, what remains of the
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is imploded.
1998 - The
Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum, with a high margin of three-fourth 'yes' votes to
Northern Ireland.
2002 - The "55 parties" clause of the
Kyoto protocol is reached after its ratification by
Iceland.
2003 - The
euro exceeds its initial trading value as it hits
$1.18 for the first time since its introduction in 1999.
2004 - Part of Paris
Charles De Gaulle International Airport Terminal 2E collapses, killing four people and injuring three others.
2007 -
Parliament of Finland celebrated its 100th anniversary plenary session, with
President Tarja Halonen and veterans in attendance.
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