1513: Battle of the Spurs at Guinegate (now Enguinegatte): King Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I defeat French forces, capturing the town and routing the French cavalry

1858: Britain’s Queen Victoria telegraphs US President James Buchanan for the first time via transatlantic telegraph cable; he replies, “It is a triumph more glorious, because far more useful to mankind, than was ever won by conqueror on the field of battle”

1896: Gold is first discovered in the Klondike at Bonanza Creek in Yukon, Canada, by George Carmack

1930: First British Empire Games open in Hamilton, Canada

1945: The last Chinese Emperor and ruler of the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo, Puyi, is captured by Soviet troops while preparing to board a plane to escape to Japan

1946: Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless

Source: Onthisday.com