1496 – Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.

1521 – Martin Luther excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church

1653 – The Coonan Cross Oath is taken in the Saint Thomas Christian community in an effort to avoid submission to Portuguese rule in India

1777 – General George Washington’s revolutionary army defeats British forces at Battle of Princeton, NJ

1899 – The first known use of the word automobile, was seen in an editorial in The New York Times.

1911 – The Government of India announces that emigration to Natal, Southern Africa, is prohibited with effect from 1 July

1925 – Benito Mussolini dissolves Italian parliament/becomes dictator

1926 – Greek Gen Theodorus Pangulos names himself dictator

1941 – Canada & US acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 yr lease)

1962 – Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome