1609: Galileo demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, including to the Doge (ruler) of Venice, Leonardo Donato

1718: Hundreds of French colonists arrive in Louisiana; New Orleans founded

1768: Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth, England, on his first voyage on board the Endeavour, bound for the Pacific Ocean

1894: Japanese scientist Shibasaburo Kitasato discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet

1944: German commander Dietrich von Choltitz surrenders Paris to the Free French forces of Philippe Leclerc, disobeying Adolf Hitler’s orders to destroy the city. President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic Charles de Gaulle gives a famous speech at the Hôtel de Ville.

1990: UN security council authorizes military action against Iraq

1991: Linux is born when Linus Torvalds sends off an email announcing his project to create a new computer operating system

Source: Onthisday.com