1660: English Parliament proclaims Charles II King of England and invites him to return

1835: First installment of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Fairy Tales” is published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

1895: China cedes Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki

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

1945: V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel formally signs Germany’s unconditional surrender in Berlin to the Allies, represented by the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union

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

2025: Cardinal Robert Prevost (69) is elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic church, the first American to hold the office takes the name of Pope Leo XIV

Source: Onthisday.com