585 BC – Solar eclipse, as predicted by Greek philosopher Thales, while Lydians at war with the Medes leads to a truce. One of the cardinal dates from which other dates calculated.
1431 – Joan of Arc is accused of relapsing into heresy by donning male clothing again, providing justification for her execution
1588 – Spanish Armada under the Duke of Medina-Sidonia departs Lisbon to invade England
1830 – US President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, authorizing the Army to force Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes out of Georgia and surrounding states, setting the stage for the Cherokee Trail of Tears
1936 – Alan Turing submits “On Computable Numbers” for publication, in which he set out the theoretical basis for modern computers.
1961 – Dedicated to informing public opinion about human rights and to securing the release of political prisoners, Amnesty International was founded in London on this day in 1961 and won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
1972 – White House “plumbers” first break in at the Democratic National Headquarters at Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C.
1999 – After some two decades of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper was reopened to public view in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.
Births & Deaths: 1908 – Ian Fleming, English author (James Bond novels), born in London, England (d. 1964)
1968 – 1968 Kylie Minogue, Australian pop star and singer (Locomotion), born in Melbourne, Victoria
2014 – American poet and memoirist Maya Angelou—whose several volumes of autobiography explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression—died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Film & TV: 1951 – Radio programme “Crazy People” (later titled The Goon Show) premieres on the BBC, created by Spike Milligan
