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

1215: English King John signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor in Surrey, places limits on royal authority and puts in writing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law

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

1896: Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured and 13,000 houses destroyed

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

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

Source: Onthisday.com