Today in History

1096		Peter the Hermit‘s crusaders force their way across Sava, Hungary.
1243		The Seljuk Turkish army in Asia Minor is wiped out by the Mongols.
1541		Former followers murder Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conqueror of Peru.
1794		The French defeat an Austrian army at the Battle of Fleurus.
1804		The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.
1844		Julia Gardiner and President John Tyler are married in New York City.
1862		General Robert E. Lee attacks George McClellan‘s line at Mechanicsville during the Seven Days’ campaign.
1863		Jubal Early and his Confederate forces move into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
1900		The United States announces it will send troops to fight against the Boxer Rebellion in China.
1907		Russia’s nobility demands drastic measures to be taken against revolutionaries.
1908		Shah Muhammad Ali’s forces squelch the reform elements of Parliament in Persia.
1916		Russian General Aleksei Brusilov renews his offensive against the Germans.
1917		General Pershing arrives in France with the American Expeditionary Force.
1918		The Germans begin firing their huge 420 mm howitzer, “Big Bertha,” at Paris.
1926		A memorial to the first U.S. troops in France is unveiled at St. Nazaire.
1924		After eight years of occupation, American troops leave the Dominican Republic.
1942		The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter flies for the first time.
1945		The U.N. Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, California.
1951		The Soviet Union proposes a cease-fire in the Korean War.
1961		A Kuwaiti vote opposes Iraq’s annexation plans.
1963		President John Kennedy announces “Ich bin ein Berliner” at the Berlin Wall.
1971		The U.S. Justice Department issues a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers.
1975		Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is convicted of election fraud.
1993		Roy Campanella, legendary catcher for the Negro Leagues and the Los Angeles Dodgers, dies.