1508– Maximilian I proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, 1st Emperor in centuries not to be crowned by the Pope. 1778– France recognizes USA, signs Treaty of Alliance in Paris, 1st US treaty. 1819– Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port. 1820 – The first organized immigration of freed slaves to Africa from the United States departs New York harbor on a journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone, in West Africa. 1840 – The Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups. 1928 – A woman calling herself Anastasia Tschaikovsky and claiming to be the youngest daughter of the murdered Russian czar Nicholas II arrives in New York City. 1952 – Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 1989 – Solidarity union leader Lech Wałęsa begins negotiating with Polish government.
Births & Deaths: 1895 – Baseball player Babe Ruth, whose home-run hitting helped make him one of the most-celebrated athletes in American sports, was born. 1932 – French film director François Truffaut, whose attacks on established filmmaking techniques paved the way for the movement known as New Wave, was born. 1945 – Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley—who achieved stardom by blending early ska, rock steady, and reggae forms into an electrifying rock-influenced hybrid—was born. 1993 – American tennis player Arthur Ashe, who was the first black man to win a Grand Slam championship, died of AIDS-related pneumonia; he had likely contracted the virus through a tainted blood transfusion received during coronary bypass surgeries. 2012 – Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies, who was credited with introducing contemporary abstract painting in Spain, died in Barcelona.
Film: 1921 – ”The Kid”, silent film starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan, released.
Music: 1965– Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin‘” hits #1.
