Today in History

1261		Constantinople falls to Michael VIII of Nicea and his army.
1385		John of Portugal defeats John of Castile at the Battle of Aljubarrota.
1598		Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, leads an Irish force to victory over the British at Battle of Yellow Ford.
1760		Frederick II defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Liegnitz.
1864		The Confederate raider Tallahassee captures six Federal ships off New England.
1872		The first ballot voting in England is conducted.
1914		The Panama Canal opens to traffic.
1935		American comedian and "cowboy philosopher" Will Rogers dies in an airplane accident, along with American aviation pioneer Wiley Post.
1942		The Japanese submarine I-25 departs Japan with a floatplane in its hold which will be assembled upon arriving off the West Coast of the United States, and used to bomb U.S. forests.
1944		American, British and French forces land on the southern coast of France, between Toulon and Cannes, in Operation Dragoon.
1945		Gasoline and fuel oil rationing ends in the United States.
1947		Britain grants independence to India and Pakistan.
1950		Two U.S. divisions are badly mauled by the North Korean Army at the Battle of the Bowling Alley in South Korea, which rages on for five more days.
1969		Over 400,000 young people attend a weekend of rock music at Woodstock, New York.