1065: A new church devoted to St Peter the Apostle is founded and consecrated by Edward the Confessor in London, later called Westminster Abbey. It is rebuilt in the Gothic style during the mid-13th century. [1]

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 Siam 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 and causing widespread destruction and a devastating tsunami in the Strait of Messina

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