Discover What Happened Today in History
During the First Crusade, after an eight-month siege, Crusader forces breached the walls of Antioch and captured the city from the Seljuk Turks. The victory secured a crucial stronghold for the Crusaders on their march to Jerusalem. The event was followed by a counter-siege by Kerbogha of Mosul, which the Crusaders repelled days later.
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto formally took possession of La Florida in the name of King Charles V, near present-day Tampa Bay. His expedition, with over 600 men, was the first major European venture into the interior of North America. The claim extended Spanish territorial ambitions deep into the continent.
The States General of the Netherlands granted a charter to the Dutch West India Company, giving it a monopoly on trade and colonization in the Americas and West Africa. The company would establish New Netherland, including the settlement of New Amsterdam (later New York). It also engaged in privateering against Spanish and Portuguese shipping.
President John Adams became the first U.S. president to reside in the White House, then still under construction in Washington, D.C. He wrote a prayer for the house the next day, a tradition later inscribed in the State Dining Room. The capital had moved from Philadelphia to the new federal city earlier that year.
British forces attacked Chinese warships near Kowloon, marking the opening of the First Opium War. The conflict arose from China's attempts to suppress the British opium trade, which was causing widespread addiction and a drain of silver. Britain's superior naval power led to a decisive victory and the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.
The last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, completing the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. The line connected eastern Canada to the Pacific coast, fulfilling a national dream and enabling rapid settlement of the West. It also facilitated the movement of troops and goods across the vast country.
The former King Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony at the Château de Candé in France. The marriage came after his abdication of the British throne in December 1936 to marry the American divorcée. The couple lived in exile for the rest of their lives.
Astronaut Ed White performed the first U.S. spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission, lasting about 23 minutes. He used a handheld maneuvering unit to control his movement outside the spacecraft. The success demonstrated the feasibility of extravehicular activity for future lunar missions.
Chinese military forces violently suppressed pro-democracy protests in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, resulting in hundreds to thousands of civilian deaths. The crackdown ended weeks of demonstrations led largely by students. The event remains a sensitive topic in China, with official accounts downplaying the casualties.
Three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then stabbed people in nearby Borough Market, killing eight and injuring dozens. Police shot the assailants dead within eight minutes of the first call. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and the attack led to a tightening of UK counter-terrorism measures.