1660: English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

1835: 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen “Fairy Tales” published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

1895: China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki

1902: Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors

1945: V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender

1980: World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated

2007: A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister

Source: Onthisday.com