Today in History

457   A Thracian officer by the name of Leo is proclaimed as emperor of the East by the army general, Aspar, on the death of the Emperor Marcian.
1668   The Netherlands, England and Sweden conclude an alliance directed against Louis XIV of France.  
1783   The Siege of Gibraltar, which was pursued by the Spanish and the French since July 24, 1779, is finally lifted.  
1818   The first successful U.S. educational magazine, Academician, begins publication in New York City.  
1882   American pugilist John L. Sullivan becomes the last of the bare-knuckle world heavyweight champions with his defeat of Patty Ryan in Mississippi City.  
1913   The Turks lose 5,000 men in a battle with the Bulgarian army in Gallipoli.  
1915   Fieldmarshal Paul von Hindenburg moves on Russians at Masurian Lakes.  
1917   The British steamer California is sunk off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat.
1926   Negro History Week, originated by Carter G. Woodson, is observed for the first time.  
1928   The United States signs an arbitration treaty with France.  
1931   Amelia Earhart weds George Putnam in Connecticut.  
1944   The Germans launch a second attack against the Allied beachead at Anzio, Italy. They hoped to push the Allies back into the sea.  
1950   The United States recognizes Vietnam under the leadership of Emperor Bao Dai, not Ho Chi Minh who is recognized by the Soviets.  
1963   The Mona Lisa is put on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
1964   The British band The Beatles are greeted by 25,000 fans upon their arrival in the United States at JFK Airport.  
1965   U.S. jets hit Don Hoi guerrilla base in reprisal for the Viet Cong raids.  
1968   North Vietnamese use 11 Soviet-built light tanks to overrun the U.S. Special Forces camp at Lang Vei at the end of an 18-hour long siege.
1978   Ethiopia mounts a counter attack against Somalia.
1983  Iran opens an invasion in the southeast of Iraq.