Today in History

1099		At the Battle of Ascalon 1,000 Crusaders, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, route an Egyptian relief column heading for Jerusalem, which had already fallen to the Crusaders.
1687		At the Battle of Mohacs, Hungary, Charles of Lorraine defeats the Turks.
1762		The British capture Cuba from Spain after a two month siege.
1791		Black slaves on the island of Santo Domingo rise up against their white masters.
1812		British commander the Duke of Wellington occupies Madrid, Spain, forcing out Joseph Bonaparte.
1863		Confederate raider William Quantrill leads a massacre of 150 men and boys in Lawrence, Kansas.
1864		After a week of heavy raiding, the Confederate cruiser Tallahassee claims six Union ships captured.
1896		Gold is discovered near Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada. After word reaches the United States in June of 1897, thousands of Americans head to the Klondike to seek their fortunes.
1898		The Spanish American War officially ends after three months and 22 days of hostilities.
1908		Henry Ford’s first Model T rolls off the assembly line.
1922		The home of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C. is dedicated as a memorial.
1935		President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Bill.
1941		French Marshal Henri Philippe Petain announces full French collaboration with Nazi Germany.
1961		The erection of the Berlin Wall begins, preventing access between East and West Germany.
1969		American installations at Quan-Loi, Vietnam, come under Viet Cong attack.
1972		As U.S. troops leave Vietnam, B-52’s make their largest strike of the war.
1977		Steven Biko, leader of the black consciousness movement in South Africa, is arrested.
1977		Space shuttle Enterprise makes its first free flight and landing.
1978		Tel al-Zaatar massacre at Palestinian refuge camp during Lebanese Civil War.
1979		Massive book burnings by press censors begin in Iran.
1981		Computer giant IBM introduces its first personal computer.
1985		Highest in-flight death toll as 520 die when  Japan Airlines Flight 123  crashes into Mount Takamagahara.
1992		The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is concluded between the United States, Canada and Mexico, creating the world’s wealthiest trade bloc.
2000		Russian Navy submarine K-141 Kursk explodes and sinks with all hands during military exercises in the Barents Sea.
2005		An LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) sniper mortally wounds Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, at the minister’s home.
2012		Summer Olympics come to a close in London.