363-Roman Emperor Julian is killed during retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by troops on the battlefield.
1794-Battle of Fleurus: Major victory by forces of the First French Republic under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan over the Coalition Army (Great Britain, Hanover, Dutch Republic, and Habsburgs). First use of a reconnaissance balloon.
1843-Hong Kong proclaimed a British Crown Colony
1857-The first 62 recipients are awarded the Victoria Cross for valour in the Crimean war by Queen Victoria
1917-First U.S. troops arrive in France during World War I
1945-The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco
1993-The U.S. launches a cruise missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for a thwarted assassination attempt against former President George H. W. Bush in April in Kuwait.
1997-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st book in J. K. Rowling's best-selling series, is published
2016-Panama Canal's third set of locks opens for commercial traffic, doubling the Canal’s capacity at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion