763 BC: Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history

1215: King John of England signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede near Windsor in Surrey, limiting royal authority and establishing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law

1219: According to legend, Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark and the oldest national flag in the world falls from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia and turns the Danes’ luck

1389: Ottomans defeat the Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe. Large losses on both sides including Sultan Murad and Serbian leader Prince Lazar. (NS date)

1775: George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army a day after Congress establishes the force

1896: A tsunami strikes a Shinto festival on the beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 people are killed, 9,000 are injured, and 13,000 houses are destroyed

1940: German troops occupy Paris as French resistance to the German invasion crumbles

1991: Climactic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, the second-largest volcanic eruption on Earth in the 20th century

Source: Onthisday.com