On This Day
1914 - World War I
World War I: In the culmination of the July Crisis, Austria-Hungary declares war on the Kingdom of Serbia and begins the Great War.
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1364 - Battle of Cascina
Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina.
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1943 - Bombing of Hamburg in World War II
World War II: Operation Gomorrah: The Royal Air Force bombs Hamburg, Germany causing a firestorm that kills 42,000 German civilians.
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1940 - A Wild Hare
The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.
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1694 - Bank of England
A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England.
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1214 - Battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire.
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1990 - Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.
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1956 - Egypt
Following the World Bank's refusal to fund building the Aswan Dam, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.
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1947 - National Security Act of 1947
Cold War: U.S. president Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947 into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States National Security Council.
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1984 - Extravehicular activity
Salyut 7 cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a space walk.
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1909 - Louis Blériot
Louis Blériot makes the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine from Calais to Dover, England, United Kingdom in 37 minutes.
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306 - Constantine the Great
Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops.