1553

Lady Jane Grey, the 15-year-old great-granddaughter of Henry VII, became queen of England, but her reign lasted only nine days, and she was executed by Mary Tudor the following year.

1584

William I, first of the hereditary stadtholders of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, was assassinated.

1609

The Catholic League was formed by Maximilian I, duke of Bavaria, and the Catholic powers in Germany.

1778

American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1850

Millard Fillmore sworn in as 13th U.S. president.

1875

Mary McLeod Bethune, an African American educator who was active in national Black affairs and a special adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was born in Mayesville, South Carolina.

1887

Dam collapses in Switzerland, kills 70.

1925

The Scopes Trial began in Dayton, Tennessee, with William Jennings Bryan arguing for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense.

1940

Germans begin the first in a long series of bombing raids against Great Britain, as the Battle of Britain, which will last three and a half months, begins.

1952

The constitution of Eritrea, prepared by the United Nations in consultation with Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, was adopted.

1962

Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin was issued a U.S. patent for a three-point seatbelt for cars; a major safety innovation, it featured a strap that extended across the upper body in addition to a standard lap restraint.

1962

Telstar 1, the first communications satellite to transmit live television signals and telephone conversations across the Atlantic Ocean, was launched.

1965

British rock band the Rolling Stones topped U.S. charts for the first time with the single (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

1965

Beatles’ “VI” album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks.

1973

The Bahamas gained independence from Britain within the Commonwealth.

1985

The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk by two bomb explosions while berthed in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand; it was later revealed that French intelligence agents had planted the explosives.

1991

Russian politician Boris Yeltsin was sworn into office as the country’s first elected president.

2012

The American Episcopal Church becomes the first to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages.

2018

Last of Thai soccer team rescued from cave.

2018

Drake surpasses The Beatles record of most singles in Billboard Hot One 100 with seven against their five from his album “Scorpion”.

2019

German automaker Volkswagen ended production of the Beetle, the first model of which had been introduced in 1938.