King John seals Magna Carta at Runnymede (1215), and New Hampshire ratifies the Twelfth Amendment (1804). Born on this day: Xi Jinping, Yury Andropov and Edvard Grieg. Died: James K. Polk, Ella Fitzgerald and Glenda Jackson.
31 events, 61 births and 60 deaths on this date.
Under pressure from rebel barons, King John sealed a charter of rights at Runnymede near Windsor. It limited royal power and protected church rights, and it became a foundation of English law.
Original authors were the barons and King John of England . Uploaded by Earthsound . · Public domainNew Hampshire's legislature voted to approve the change to how the presidency and vice presidency are chosen, letting electors cast separate ballots for each office. The Twelfth Amendment was needed to end the confusion that arose when candidates tied in the electoral college.
Venice gained a ten-year truce with the Byzantine Empire, along with its own district in Constantinople where its merchants could trade. The deal also returned the city to trading rights it had enjoyed before, giving Venetian merchants a firm foothold in the Byzantine capital.
The American Lisa Halaby, a former airline architect, became Queen Noor when she wed the Jordanian king in Amman. She later took an active part in charity and education work across the kingdom.
The volcano on Luzon blasted out ash and gas in one of the biggest eruptions of the last century, and over 800 people died. Early warnings led to tens of thousands being evacuated, saving many lives.
Prince Lazar's Serbian forces met the invading Ottoman army of Sultan Murad I here, and both leaders died in the fighting. Murad is said to be the only Ottoman sultan killed in battle, and Serbia could no longer field large armies afterwards.
Adam Stefanović · Public domain
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Xi Jinping is the paramount leader of China, having led the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 and the country as president since 2013. He is also known for a sweeping anti-corruption drive and for tightening the state's grip on the economy and society.
Presidencia de la República del Ecuador · Public domain
Andropov led the Soviet Union for about fifteen months after Brezhnev's death, but he is best known for running the KGB for fifteen years. He also promoted younger reformers, including Mikhail Gorbachev, who would later take charge.
TASS · Public domain
Edvard Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist who wove Norwegian folk music into his work, bringing his country's sound to wider fame. He is remembered as one of the leading Romantic composers, and his music remains in the standard classical repertoire worldwide.
Bergen Public Library Norway from Bergen, Norway · No restrictions
Polk was the 11th US president, a Jacksonian Democrat who pushed American expansion. His term saw Texas join the Union, the Mexican-American War, and the Oregon settlement that fixed the modern US-Canada border.
George Peter Alexander Healy · Public domain
Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer famed for her clear tone, sharp diction and inventive scat singing. Her Great American Songbook recordings for Verve, and her duets with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, made her one of the most admired voices of the century.
Carl Van Vechten · Public domain
Glenda Jackson was an English actress who won two Academy Awards for Women in Love and A Touch of Class, then spent 23 years as a Labour MP. She died at 87, after returning to the stage in King Lear.
Studio Publicity · Public domain
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