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Today in history:
>355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.
>1332 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor: Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol.
>1675 – Franco-Dutch War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire defeat the French in the Battle of Konzer Brücke.
>1786 – Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.
>1804 – Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria.
>1812 – Peninsular War: French troops engage British-Portuguese forces in the Battle of Majadahonda.
>1898 – Spanish–American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
>1919 – Germany's Weimar Constitution is signed into law.
>1920 – The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence.
>1960 – Chad declares independence.
>1962 – Vostok 3 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity.
>1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the moon.
>1972 – Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit leaves South Vietnam.
>1984 – "We begin bombing in five minutes": United States President Ronald Reagan, while running for re-election, jokes while preparing to make his weekly Saturday address on National Public Radio.
>2003 – NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
