On this Date in 1997...

...Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a high speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris.  Non-coincidentally, on the same day your truly arrived in California to live for the foreseeable future, ranging from Orange County, to San Diego, then eventually the Central Valley.

On this Date in 1963...

...the Hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union goes into operation.  There was a brief misunderstanding when President Kennedy accidentally picked up this line instead of the Bat-Phone.  The Soviet Premier was overheard shortly afterward wondering, "What is Batman?"

On this Date in 1825...

...Portugal recognizes the Independence of Brazil.  The official declaration included the statement: "Hey look, Brazil is independent."

On this Date in 1901...

...Silliman University is founded in the Philippines. The first American private school in the country.  Some believed it to be a clown college, but were quickly corrected and were told that it was, in fact, a jester's college.  Big difference.

On this Date in 1928...

...The Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war is signed by the first 15 nations to do so. Ultimately sixty-one nations will sign it.  In honor of this momentous occasion they all enjoyed a celebratory bowl of Sugar Frosted Flakes.

On this Date in 1914...

...World War I: the German colony of Togoland is invaded by French and British forces, who take it after 5 days.  It was a rather easy operation as the Germans had decided to start wearing bedsheets instead of their normal uniforms, in honor of the area they were occupying.

On this Date in 1920...

...Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski (pictured) successfully forced the Russians to withdraw from Warsaw at the Battle of Warsaw, the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War.  Which, at least briefly, ended the reputation of Poland being the whipping boy of Europe.

On this Date in 2006...

...the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a Dwarf Planet.  Pluto is later seen peeing on the head of the IAUs leg in protest.

On this Date in 1914...

...World War I: Japan declares war on Germany and bombs Qingdao, China.  Residents of Qingdao are overheard yelling, "But we are not in Germany!"

On this Date in 851...

...Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland.  Erispoe thought he might add insult to injury by shaving Charles' head, but he apparently was already beaten to the punch.

On this Date in 1772...

...King Gustav III completes his coup d'état by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing himself as an enlightened despot.  His mother had always said that he was rather bright.

On this Date in 1920...

...the National Football League, (NFL), is founded in the United States.  Which, interestingly enough, was right where someone had left it.

On this Date in 1989...

...several hundred East Germans cross the frontier between Hungary and Austria during the Pan-European Picnic, part of the events which began the process of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.  Many of the East Germans who crossed state they saw an odd looking bear wearing a hat that kept stealing their picanic baskets.

On this Date in 1590...

...John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned from England only to find the settlement deserted.  Marking the worst coming home party in history.

On this Date in 1959...

...Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released.  His followup albums, Sort of Green and Somewhat Like Yellow, were not so well received.

On this Date in 1927...

...the Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.  Pretty much because they were flying bananas and pineapples.

On this Date in 1695...

...French forces end the Bombardment of Brussels, leaving a third of the buildings in the city in ruins.  Marking the first time in history a country was violently opposed to a vegetable.

On this Date in 1888...

...an audio recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost Chord", one of the first recordings of music ever made, is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London.  Upon concluding the playback Thomas Edison was overheard commenting, "Well, it looks like they found it."

On this Date in 1960...

...the Central African Republic declares independence from France.  France promptly surrenders, to which the Central African Republic responds, "But, we don't want your country.  Just this one.  Thanks anyway."

On this Date in 1499...

...first engagement of the Battle of Zonchio between Venetian and Ottoman fleets.  Marking the first time in history where window treatments battle foot stools for supremacy.  Onlookers are baffled at the wholesale destruction of so much interior decor.

On this Date in 1786...

...Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.  Who was known as the much more healthy of the Captain Francis'.

On this Date in 1628...

...the Swedish warship  Vasa sinks in the Stockholm harbour after only about 20 minutes of her maiden voyage.  She will go on to become the crown jewel of the Swedish fleet...from the bottom of Stockholm harbour.

On this Date in 1173...

...construction of the campanile of the cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins; it will take two centuries to complete.  Proving that it does take a long time to get something perfectly imperfect.

On this Date in 2000...

Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer E. Lee Spence and 5 years after being filmed by a dive team funded by novelist Clive Cussler. It was later broken into, and searched, by Benjamin Gates for clues to the location of George Washington's lost wooden teeth.

On this Date in 1909...

...Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, taking 59 days to travel from New York City to San Francisco.  This was not really what they had intended; however, it definitely sounds better than admitting they got lost on their way to New Jersey.

On this Date in 1284...

...The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.  It was mostly due to the possibility that all of their ships were unable to stay upright during the battle.

On this Date in 1925...

...The Welsh political party Plaid Cymru was founded with the goals of promoting the Welsh language and the political independence of the Welsh nation.  It also promoted the creation of comfortable, and warm, outer wear that would become the mainstay of deer hunters across the United States.

On this Date in 1916...

...World War I: Liberia declares war on Germany.  Upon hearing the news, the Kaiser's official response was, "Who?"

On this Date in 8...

...Roman Empire general Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus.  They would have held out longer if they had the support of the firefighting counterparts.

On this Date in 1870...

...Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London.  Contrary to what its name implies, it was not actually very tall.

On this Date in 1798...

...French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Nile (Battle of Aboukir Bay) – Battle begins when a British fleet engages the French Revolutionary Navy fleet in an unusual night action.  It was unusual because no-one remembered to bring a night-light and everyone was running around stubbing their toes on the cannons.