198 Triumph of Septimius Severus for his victories over the Parthians

1077 The Humiliation of Canosa: Pope Gregory VII humbles Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich IV

1099 First Crusaders lay siege to Hosn-el-Akrad, Syria

1393 "Le Bal des Ardents": disastrous ballroom fire kills 4 & costs King Charles VI of France what's left of his mind

1495 Pope Alexander VI gives his son Cesare Borgia as a hostage to Charles VIII of France

1547 Accession of Edward VI (age 9) as King of England (1547-1553)

1701 Battle of Dartsedo: The Chinese capture the border fortress from the Tibetans

1830 The premiere of Auber's opera "Fra Diavolo" in Paris

1846 Battle of Aliwal: British defeat the Sikhs

1860 Britain formally returns the Mosquito Coast to Nicaragua

1865 CSA Pres Jefferson Davis names three peace commissioners

1871 Paris, besieged since July 19th, surrenders to the Prussians

1915 SS 'William P Frye', torpedoed while carrying wheat to Britain - 1st US ship lost in WW I

1916 German colony of Cameroon surrenders to Britain & France

1918 Strike at Berlin munitions factories

1932 Japanese capture Shanghai

1941 Japan sponsors an armistice ending the Franco-Thai War (1940-1941)

1942 Bataan: Japanese attack the new US/Philippine defenses

1942 USN Ens. Donald Mason radios, "Sighted sub, sank same."

1942 German troops capture Benghazi, Libya

1942 Malaya: British forces begin to withdraw towards Singapore

1943 Guadalcanal: the CAM Div advances across the Nueha River.

1943 New Guinea: Japanese attack Australian Kanga Force at Wau

1944 RAF puts 683 bombers over Berlin

1981 William J Casey begins six years as director of the CIA

1982 Italian police rescue Brig Gen James L. Dozier from 42 days imprisonment by Red Brigades

1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after launch, seven die.

1991 Dictator Siad Barre flees Somalia, replacing 22 years of misrule with decades of chaos