Events that happened on this day throughout history:
- 927 – Athelstan becomes the first southern king of Britain to control the North when various local kings accept his overlordship.
- 1109 – Crusaders capture Tripoli.
- 1561 – St Basil’s in Moscow (the one with the iconic onion domes) is consecrated to commemorate the defeat of the Mongols.
- 1690 – William III defeats James II at the Battle of the Boyne.
- 1705 – Ottoman army officer Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī proclaims himself Bey of Tunis, founding the Husainid Dynasty. The dynasty would rule Tunisia till 1957.
- 1790 – The Revolution puts the Catholic church in France under the control of the state.
- 1804 – Alexander Hamilton dies, the day after his duel with Aaron Burr.
- 1906 – Alfred Dreyfus is found completely innocent of all charges, after twelve years of false charges, imprisonment, multiple trials and political scandal.
- 1921 – Babe Ruth sets a record of 137 home runs.
- 1944 – The US Government recognises Charles de Gaulle.
- 1954 – Eisenhower announces plans for the interstate highway system, one of the biggest public works projects in history.
- 1969 – “Marching Season” in Northern Ireland kicks off serious rioting in Derry and Belfast. This is commonly held to be the beginning of the Troubles.
- 1970 – Thor Heyerdahl crosses the Atlantic on Ra II, from Morocco to Barbados, demonstrating that people could have crossed the Atlantic in a papyrus boat (although they probably didn’t).
- 1974 – “John Ehrlichman convicted of violating Daniel Ellsberg’s rights.” I don’t know what event this refers to but I’m sure Agnew does.
- 1975 – Sao Tomé e Príncipe gains independence from Portugal.
- 1979 – Disco Demolition Night. Read about it here.
- 1990 – Boris Yeltsin leaves the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
- 2013 – Malala Yousafzai addresses the UN.
So, what have you been reading, writing, seeing or thinking about this week?