753 BC – Romulus and Remus found Rome (traditional date). 1526 – First Battle of Panipat: Central Asian conqueror Babur defeats Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, establishing the Mughal Empire in India. 1792 – Brazilian revolutionary Tiradentes, is hanged, drawn and quartered in Rio de Janeiro. 1830 – James Starley, an inventor and the father of the bicycle industry, was born in Albourne, Sussex, England. 1863 – Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, enters garden of Rivden near Baghdad. He makes his declaration as a Messenger of God during the 12 days spent there. 1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen “The Red Baron”, shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France, Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown credited with the kill. 1934 – The Daily Mail printed a photograph that reportedly depicted the small head and neck of the Loch Ness monster; the iconic image, widely known as the “surgeon’s photograph,” sparked an international sensation but was later revealed to be a hoax. 1989 – Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing’s Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom. 2002 – French President Jacques Chirac faced a reelection challenge on this day in 2002 from extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of presidential voting but two weeks later handily defeated him to win a second term.
Births & Deaths: 2016 – American musician Prince—who created groundbreaking music that fused funk, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and pop and was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and ’90s—died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid.
Sport: 1904 – Ty Cobb makes his pro debut for Augusta (South Atlantic League).
Music: 1956 – Elvis Presley’s 1st hit record, “Heartbreak Hotel”, becomes #1.
TV & Film: 1930 – “All Quiet on the Western Front” based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Outstanding Production 1930).
