431 BC Peloponnesian War begins [Alt] (431-404 BC)

878 Battle of Ethandune: Alfred the Great defeats the Danes

1342 Pierre Roger elected Pope as Clement VI (1342-1352)

1355 Massacre of 1,200 Jews at Toledo

1592 Battle of Yvetot: Spanish defeat the French

1682 HM Frigate 'Gloucester' wrecked off the English coast, with heavy loss of life

1727 Tsarina Catherine I of Russia expels Jews from Ukraine

1748 French capture Maastricht

1765 HMS 'Victory' is launched

1779 US Sloop-of-War 'Providence' captures HM Brig 'Diligent'

1832 The Great Powers recognize Greek independence from Turkey

1848 Battle of Stretta di Ospitale: Italians defeat the Austrians

1861 Knoxville, Tn: Riot between Secessionists & Unionists

1862 Battle of West Point/Eltham's Landing/Barnhamsville, VA

1866 Otto von Bismarck is wounded by an assassin

1898 Skirmish at Havana: US ships & Spanish batteries exchange fire

1915 German 'U-20' torpedoes the liner 'Lusitania', 1198 die

1920 Russo-Polish War: The Poles capture Kiev

1937 Germany's Condor Legion arrives in Spain to help the Nationalists

1939 Hitler & Mussolini proclaim the Rome-Berlin Axis

1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, Day 1: US sinks CVL 'Shoho', loses an oiler and destroyer

1942 British capture Diego Suarez, Madagascar, from the Vichy French.

1942 Japanese submarine-borne aircraft reconnoiter Aden.

1942 Nazis order murder of pregnant Jewish women in Kovno

1943 Nazis require all Dutchmen 18-35 to report for labor service

1943 SS 'G. W. Carver' launched, 1st Liberty Ship named for a black American

1943 British troops capture Tunis, the US 1st Armored Div captures Ferryville and the 9th Infantry Div takes Bizerte

1943 US destroyers mine the Blackett Strait, between Kolombangara & Arundel in the Solomon Islands

1944 Heavy Allied air raids on Japanese shipping lanes to Rangoon and Bangkok

1945 Germany signs a preliminary surrender agreement

1945 The SS opens fire on a crowd in Amsterdam, killing 22

1945 The Dutch "Princess Irene Bde" liberates The Hague

1945 Germany signs an unconditional surrender

1954 Dien Bien Phu: Vietminh overrun the French after a 55-day siege

1956 Franco-Algerian War: Battle at Oran, 300 die

1957 USAF F-104 Starfighter reaches 90,000 feet

1985 Ticker tape parade on Broadway to honor Vietnam Veterans

1992 Maiden voyage of the space shuttle 'Endeavor'