1429
War & Conflict
Joan of Arc Enters Orleans
Joan of Arc arrived at the besieged city of Orleans with French forces and supplies. Her arrival turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War and led to the lifting of the English siege.
On This Day in History
1770
Exploration
James Cook Arrives in Australia
Captain James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour arrived at Botany Bay in Australia. Cook mapped the eastern coastline and claimed the territory for Britain.
1861
War & Conflict
Maryland Legislature Votes Against Secession
The Maryland legislature voted against seceding from the Union despite strong Confederate sympathies. Had Maryland seceded, Washington, D.C. would have been surrounded by Confederate territory.
1916
War & Conflict
British Forces Surrender at Kut
A British garrison of approximately 13,000 troops surrendered to Ottoman forces at Kut al-Amara in Mesopotamia after a 147-day siege. It was one of Britain's most humiliating defeats.
1945
War & Conflict
Dachau Concentration Camp Liberated
American forces liberated the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, the first Nazi concentration camp. Soldiers found thousands of corpses and emaciated survivors.
1975
War & Conflict
Fall of Saigon
North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. Iconic images of helicopters evacuating Americans and Vietnamese from rooftops became symbols of the war's end.
2011
Culture
Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide watched the ceremony.