644: The second Muslim caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, is injured in an assassination attempt in Medina by Lu’lu, an enslaved Persian captive. The caliph dies four days later.

1534: English Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy, making Henry VIII and all subsequent monarchs the Head of the Church of England

1620: Great Patent granted to Plymouth Colony

1640: English Long Parliament forms

1906: International Radiotelegraph Conference in Berlin selects the “SOS” (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal as the worldwide standard for help

1957: Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2 with space dog Laika aboard, a mostly Siberian Husky, the first animal in space

1970: US President Richard Nixon promises to gradually remove troops from Vietnam

Source: Onthisday.com