1787: The First Fleet, headed by Arthur Phillip, sets sail with 11 ships of convicts for Botany Bay, Australia [1]

1830: The Republic of Ecuador is founded with Juan José Flores as president

1940: Winston Churchill says “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” in his first speech as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons

1981: Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City

1989: Approximately 2,000 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China, to force a dialogue with the government ahead of a visit by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Source: Onthisday.com