1527-Spanish and German Imperial troops sack Rome, ending the Renaissance. Charles III, Duke of Bourbon is killed in the assault removing any restraint for the victorious soldiers.
1626-Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1889-Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the lifts in the tower are not ready, intrepid visitors need to climb 1,710 stairs to get to top
1937-German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
1941-Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
1994-Channel Tunnel linking England and France officially opens
2017-84 abducted schoolgirls released in exchange for Boko Haram suspects in Nigeria