This Day In History

• 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves minor victory over Octavian, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to Octavian's invasion of Egypt

• 432 - St Sixtus III begins his reign as Catholic Pope

• 781 - The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji (Traditional Japanese date: July 6, 781)

• 1291 - Egyptian Mamelukken occupies Akko, crusaders driven out of Palestine

• 1423 - Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant the French army is defeated by the English on the banks of the river Yonne in Burgundy

• 1498 - Christopher Columbus discovers the island of Trinidad on his third voyage

• 1655 - Russo-Polish War (1654-1667): the Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for six years

• 1658 - Aurangzeb appoints himself Mughal emperor

• 1667 - Peace of Breda: 2nd English war-Suriname vs New-Netherlands ends

• 1777 - Marquis de Lafayette, 19, made majorgeneral of Continental Army

• 1790 - 1st US patent granted, to Samuel Hopkins for a potash process

• 1813 - British invade Plattsburgh, NY

• 1877 - Second Russian assault on Plevna, Turkey fails, during Russo-Turkish War, 7,300 Russian casualties

• 1901 - Abraham Kuyper becomes premier of Netherlands

• 1914 - German Emperor Wilhelm II threatens war, orders Russia to demobilize

• 1917 - World War I: Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) begins, goes on to cause approximately 500,000 casualties

• 1925 - Last allied occupying troops leave Ruhrgebied

• 1929 - Aristide Briand becomes premier of France for the 6th time

• 1936 - IOC awards Tokyo, Japan 1940 Summer Olympic Games (later cancelled, Second SinoJapanese War)