533 – Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, under King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron. 1256– Hulagu Khan captures and destroys Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut, in present-day Iran, part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia. 1488– Bartolomeu Dias returns to Portugal after becoming 1st known European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope. 1612– German Astronomer Simon Marius is 1st to observe Andromeda galaxy through a telescope. 1791– US Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gives its approval, becomes amendments 1-10 of the US constitution. 1840 – Napoleon Bonaparte receives a French state funeral in Paris 19 years after his death. 1973– American Psychiatric Association declares homosexuality is not a mental illness. 1997– Janet Rosenberg Jagan was elected president of Guyana, becoming the first elected female president in South America and the first white president of Guyana. 2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened in Pisa, Italy, after more than 10 years of work to stabilize the structure. 2011 – The Iraq War officially ended as the United States formally declared that its mission in the country was over.
Film:1939 – “Gone With the Wind”, drama film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, premieres in Atlanta (Best Picture 1940, inflation not adjusted highest-grossing film of all time).
Music:1955– “Folsom Prison Blues” single released by Johnny Cash (Billboard Song of the Year 1968).
