WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2026

1571-Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of Catholic states formed by Pope Pius V destroys an Ottoman fleet in a significant defeat off Western Greece

1737-A cyclone causes 40-foot waves that are believed to kill 300,000 in Calcutta, India

1763-George III of Great Britain issues the Proclamation of 1763, closing lands in North America north and west of the Alleghenies to white settlement

1919-KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij), Royal Dutch Airlines, is founded in Amsterdam, making it one of the world's oldest airlines

1959-Far side of the Moon is seen for the first time courtesy of the USSR's Luna 3 space probe

1963-John F. Kennedy signs the ratification for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1967 The Beatles turn down $1 million offer by Sid Bernstein for a return performance at Shea Stadium in New York City

1968-Motion Picture Association of America adopts a film rating system

2001-U.S. invasion of Afghanistan begins with an air assault and covert ground operations

2023-Hamas launches a major air and ground attack on Israel from Gaza, killing over a thousand people and taking hundreds of hostages, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare, "We are at war"