TODAY IN HISTORY: Heat wave in France

In 1227, Mongol emperor Genghis Khan died. He became one of the most significant and successful military leaders in history. He united the Mongol tribes and founded the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), the largest contiguous empire in world history. He was reputed to have killed 20 million people.

In 1587, in Roanoke, N.C., Virginia Dare became the first child born of European parents in the New World.

In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed American neutrality in the First World War — the same day Germany declared war on Russia.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed the right of all American women to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. In 1962, Ringo Starr made his debut with The Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Starr, formerly with Rory Storme and the Hurricanes, replaced Pete Best, who was asked to leave The Beatles by manager Brian Epstein. In 1986, Bon Jovi released “Slippery When Wet.” It has worldwide sales of over 28 million copies. The album spawned two No. 1 singles — “You Give Love A Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

In 2003, the death toll from a heat wave in France reached 10,000. (Nearly 15,000 eventually perished.)

In 2006, the Quebec government was ordered to give more than $13 million to nearly 45,000 women who had to pay for abortions. Justice Nicole Benard of Quebec Superior Court said the government misinterpreted its own medicare law by paying only a portion of the cost of abortions performed in certain women’s health centres and private clinics.

In 2008, Oak Bay became the first municipality in Canada to legalize low-speed electric cars. In 2010, Indian Affairs Minister John Duncan issued a government apology to Inuit families who were uprooted from their homeland in northern Quebec and moved to desolate spots in the High Arctic during the 1950s.

In 2016, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won a record third consecutive gold medal in the 200-metre sprint. Canada’s Andre De Grasse won the silver medal, becoming the first Canadian to win two individual track medals in the same Olympics since Alex Wilson in 1932.

In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump accepted Steve Bannon’s resignation, ending a turbulent seven months for his chief strategist. The former leader of conservative Breitbart News was the man behind many of Trump’s most controversial efforts, including the travel ban on mainly Muslim countries and the decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.