1065: New church devoted to St. Peter the Apostle is built by Edward the Confessor, later called the ‘west minster,’ consecrated in London (rebuilt mid-13th century)

1612: First observation of Neptune – Galileo observes and records a “fixed star” without realizing it is a planet

1767: King Taksin is crowned King of Thailand and establishes Thonburi as his capital

1836: Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico

1860: Harriet Tubman arrives in Auburn, New York, on her last mission to free slaves, having evaded capture for eight years on the Underground Railroad

1908: Earthquake strikes Messina in Italy, killing nearly 80,000 people

1943: Kalmyk inhabitants of the Republic of Kalmykia are deported by the Soviet Union to Central Asia and Siberia, with many dying en route

Source: Onthisday.com