TODAY IN HISTORY: Trial of Louis Riel

In 1798, the “Battle of the Nile” between the British and the French isolated Napoleon’s army in Egypt. One of the greatest victories of British admiral Horatio Nelson, it ensured the ultimate disintegration of the French army and secured Britain’s possession of the Mediterranean and India.

In 1876, Colorado was admitted as the 38th state.

In 1885, a six-man jury in Regina found Metis leader Louis Riel guilty of treason. He was hanged the following November.

In 1914, Germany declared war on Russia in the First World War.

In 1928, Vancouver sprinter Percy Williams earned his second gold medal of the Amsterdam Olympics. He won the 200 metres, two days after winning the 100.

In 1930, the British airship “R100” crossed the Atlantic and arrived in Montreal. The trip was financed by Britain and Canada, part of a plan to provide airship service throughout the Commonwealth. The flight took 78 hours and 52 minutes. But airships were too vulnerable to the elements, and after the explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937, airship travel ceased.

In 1936, the Olympic Games opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler. American Jesse Owens went on to win four gold medals in track and field. In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw against Nazi occupation forces during the Second World War. The revolt collapsed after two months. In 1950, Guam became a U.S. territory. In 1971, “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” premiered on CBS.

In 1964, singer Johnny Burnette died in a boating accident while fishing at Clear Lake, Calif. He was 30. In 1960, he had two million-sellers — “Dreamin’ “and “You’re Sixteen.”

In 1985, a U.S. icebreaker left Greenland for a voyage through the Northwest Passage without Canada’s permission.