On this Date in 1456...

...a retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death.  So, she has that going for her, which is nice.

On this Date in 1484...

...Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.  Upon discovering it Diogo Cão is overheard saying, "Bem o que você sabe, é sempre no último lugar que você olhe."

On this Date in 1937...

...the Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend.  It also sparked the decades old debate asking the question: "What exactly is this made of?"

On this Date in 1945...

...the Brazilian cruiser Bahia was accidentally sunk by one of her own crewmen, killing more than 300 and stranding the survivors in shark-infested waters.  One has to wonder, however, at the wisdom of building a boat with a drain plug.

On this Date in 1778...

...American Revolutionary War: British forces kill 360 people in the Wyoming Valley massacre.  What they were doing in Wyoming is anyone's guess, considering the war was taking place on the east coast.

On this Date in 1962...

...The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas.  Thus embarking on the weirdest parade of humanity in history.

On this Date in 1943...

...Tokyo City merges with Tokyo Prefecture and is dissolved. Since then, no city in Japan has had the name "Tokyo" (present-day Tokyo is not officially a city).  So basically if you have ever been to Tokyo you have been to a place that no longer exists.  Wrap your head around that one.