1778 – American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain
1940 – Battle of Britain begins as Nazi forces attack shipping convoys in the English Channel
1985 – French foreign intelligence agents blow up the Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbor, New Zealand to prevent it interfering with French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira is killed.
1991 – Boris Yeltsin sworn in as 1st elected President of the Russian Federation
2012 – The American Episcopal Church becomes the first to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages
2014 – Yair Lapid warns of Israeli Defense Force ground operation if Gazan rocket fire do not stop
2020 – Sixth century cathedral Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque by decree issued by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (converted to a mosque 1453-1934)
Film & TV:
1950 – “Your Hit Parade” premieres on NBC (later CBS) TV (broadcast on radio from 1935)
Music:
2018 – Drake surpasses The Beatles record of most singles in Billboard Hot One 100 with seven against their five from his album “Scorpion”
Sport:
1971 – 100th British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale: Lee Trevino wins the first of his consecutive Open Championships, a stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan of Taiwan
Via Britannica / On This Day
