In 1429, Charles VII was crowned King of France at the Reims Cathedral. His coronation occurred because of the successful campaign led by Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. While he would remain king until 1461, pro-English French nobles betrayed Joan of Arc the following year.
In 1955, Disneyland was dedicated in Anaheim, California after a full year of construction. About 14,000 invites were present for the event, along with around a similar number of those who came with either counterfeit tickets or snuck into the park. ABC aired a broadcast of the dedication, and the following day the park was opened for real and to the public.
In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a ground-to-air missile, launched due to the then-ongoing fighting between pro-Russian and Ukrainian fighters, known as the War in Donbass. The Boeing 777 crashed near the border between the two countries, killing the 298 passengers and crewmembers aboard. Those responsible for firing the missile were pro-Russian separatists.
A Notable Birth
1839 – Ephraim Shay (d. 1916) was an American inventor that developed the Shay locomotive, the most commonly used geared steam locomotive for trains. He patented the design and licensed it to a manufacturer.
A Notable Death
1588 – Mimar Sinan (b. 1489) was an Ottoman architect responsible for designing the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque, both of which can be found in Istanbul, along with the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
