Events

• 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.
• 947 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.
• 1654 – Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.
• 1863 – American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.
• 1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins.
• 1917 – The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
• 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan)
• 1943 – The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty.
• 1946 – Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People’s Republic of Albania with himself as head of state.
• 1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.
• 1972 – East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh.
• 1994 – The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin (refer to The Troubles).
• 2013 – One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.
• Independence Resistance Day (Morocco).

People (Births)

• 1591 – Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1646).
• 1671 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general and diplomat (d. 1745).
• 1755 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American general, economist and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804).
• 1777 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (d. 1837).
• 1873 – John Callan O’Laughlin, American soldier and journalist (d. 1949).
• 1876 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1952).
• 1878 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1952).
• 1891 – Andrew Sockalexis, American runner (d. 1919).
• 1897 – August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (d. 1979).
• 1901 – Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (d. 1988).
• 1910 – Shane Paltridge, Australian soldier and politician (d. 1966).
• 1926 – Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1998).
• 1948 – Madeline Manning, American runner and coach.
• 1963 – Tracy Caulkins, American-Australian swimmer.
• 1963 – Petra Schneider, German swimmer.
• 1987 – Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoer.

People (Deaths)

• 1788 – François Joseph Paul de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722).
• 1937 – Nuri Conker, Turkish colonel and politician (b. 1882).
• 1952 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (b. 1889).
• 1988 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honour recipient (b. 1912).
• 1995 – Lewis Nixon, US Army captain (b. 1918).
• 1995 – Theodor Wisch, German general (b. 1907).
• 2013 – Nguyễn Khánh, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam (b. 1927).
• 2013 – Alemayehu Shumye, Ethiopian runner (b. 1988).
• 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928).