Events

• 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
• 217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene (refer to Second Punic War).
• 474 – Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 637 – The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ireland.
• 843 – The Vikings sack French city of Nantes.
• 972 – Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.
• 1128 – Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba.
• 1230 – The Siege of Jaén begins, in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.
• 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.
• 1340 – Hundred Years’ War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
• 1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
• 1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
• 1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
• 1593 – The Dutch city of Geertruidenberg held by the Spanish, capitulates to a besieging Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau.
• 1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
• 1622 – Battle of Macau: The Dutch make a failed attempt to capture Macau.
• 1663 – The Spanish garrison of Évora capitulates, following the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial.
• 1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.
• 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
• 1793 – The first Republican constitution in France is adopted.
• 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.
• 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army (refer to War of 1812).
• 1821 – Battle of Carabobo: Decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.
• 1859 – Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.
• 1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
• 1913 – Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
• 1932 – A bloodless revolution instigated by the People’s Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).
• 1940 – World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.
• 1943 – US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.
• 1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.
• 1948 – Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
• 1954 – First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.
• 1963 – The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
• Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela).

People (Births)

• 1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general.
• 1661 – Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyō (d. 1730).
• 1753 – William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (d. 1825).
• 1774 – Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819).
• 1774 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (d. 1838).
• 1777 – John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (d. 1856).
• 1782 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (d. 1847).
• 1784 – Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1853).
• 1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (d. 1916).
• 1883 – Arthur L. Newton, American runner (d. 1956).
• 1883 – Frank Verner, American runner (d. 1966).
• 1884 – Frank Waller, American runner (d. 1941).
• 1905 – Fred Alderman, American sprinter (d. 1998).
• 1908 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (d. 1976).
• 1913 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (d. 2002).
• 1914 – Pearl Witherington, WWII French secret agent (d. 2008).
• 1916 – William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (d. 2010).
• 1921 – Gerhard Sommer, German soldier (d. 2019).
• 1927 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (d. 2014).
• 1935 – Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist.
• 1946 – David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence.
• 1951 – Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter.
• 1972 – Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist.
• 1972 – Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower.
• 1974 – Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician.
• 1983 – Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer.
• 1989 – Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner.

People (Deaths)

• 1314 – Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (b. 1291).
• 1314 – Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (b. 1274).
• 1520 – Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (b. 1489).
• 1766 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1678).
• 1835 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1769).
• 1932 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (b. 1879).
• 2000 – Vera Atkins, WWII British intelligence officer (b. 1908).
• 2014 – Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (b. 1919).
• 2015 – Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (b. 1915).