1214 – Battle of Bouvines: King Philip II of France vs Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV and King John of England; as a result John lost Normandy and his other possessions in France (hence his nickname John “Lackland”)
1586 – Walter Raleigh brings the 1st tobacco to England from Virginia
1655 – Netherlands and Brandenburg sign military treaty
1954 – Armistice divides Vietnam into two countries
1976 – Japanese ex-premier Tanaka arrested (Lockheed Affair)
1992 – Nelson Mandela says a general strike will go ahead to protest for the removal of South African President F. W. de Klerk from power and for free elections
1993 – Mafia bombs historical buildings in Rome, Milan and Vatican City, 5 killed
1997 – “Candide” closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 103 performances
2019 – At least 65 mourners killed in a gun attack at a funeral near Maiduguri, by suspected Boko Haram militants in north-east Nigeria
2021 – American gymnast and four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles withdraws from the women’s team final at the Tokyo Games citing need to focus on her mental health; also misses individual finals