- 711 – Roderic and the Visigoths in Iberia were defeated in the Battle of Guadalete by Moorish Umayyad invaders led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad.
- 1553 – Lady Jane Grey was replaced by Mary I of England as Queen of England after holding that title for just nine days.
- 1848 – The two-day Women's Rights Convention opened in Seneca Falls, New York, United States.
- 1870 – France declared war on Prussia, starting the Franco-Prussian War.
- 1947 – Burmese nationalist Aung San was assassinated.
- 1979 – Sandinista rebels overthrew the US-backed government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.