1102 Second Battle of Ramallah: Crusaders defeat the Fatimids

1198 Frederick II von Hohenstaufen, age 4, crowned King of Sicily (1198-1150)

1540 Battle of Kanauj: The Afghans defeat the Moghuls

1648 Battle of Zusmarshausen: Swedes defeat the Imperialists

1742 Battle of Chotusitz: Prussians defeat the Austrians

1756 Seven Years' War: Britain declares war on France

1794 Battle of Tourcoing, Day 1: French v. Austro-English (ends 18th)

1797 Royal Navy's Spithead "Mutiny" ends peacefully (from April 16)

1809 Napoleon annexes the Papal States to his Empire

1814 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden

1849 Great Fire of St. Louis

1863 Battle of Big Black River Bridge: Grant begins sealing off Vicksburg

1864 Battle of Adairsville, Ga: Union forces Confederate retreat

1876 Rosebud Campaign: Custer & the 7th Cavalry left Fort Lincoln

1890 Havana: Magazine explosion, 34 die, c. 100 injured

1900 The Boers besiege Mafeking

1905 Norway declares independence from Sweden

1938 Bound for California, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan lands in Dublin

1940 Germans capture Brussels

1942 Japanese sub 'I-28' sunk by 'Tautog' (USS-198). 'I-164' by 'Triton' (SS-201)

1943 Operation Chastise: RAF 617 Squadron ("The Dam Busters") destroys the Ruhr Valley dams in the wee hours

1944 Burma: Merrill's Marauders take Myitkina airfield in a coup de main.

1944 Royal Navy raids Surabaya, Java

1944 Surabaya: American heavy bombers stage a nocturnal raid

1945 Last major surface naval battle of WW II: Jap. CA 'Haguro' sunk by Br DDs, Malacca Str.

1974 Protestant Ulster "Unionist" terrorists detonate four bombs in the Irish Republic, 33 die, including children.

1980 Race riot in Miami, 16 killed, c. 300 injured

1987 USS 'Stark' (FFG-31) hit by Iraqi missiles, 37 sailors die

2006 USS 'Oriskany' (CV-34) is sunk as a reef in the Gulf of Mexico