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1544

Italian War of 1542–46: The first Siege of Boulogne begins.

Italian War of 1542–46: The first Siege of Boulogne begins.

1954

First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

1929

The Kellogg–Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect (it is first signed in…

The Kellogg–Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect (it is first signed in Paris on August 27, 1928, by most leading world powers).

1866

Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to Congress following the American Civil War.

Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to Congress following the American Civil War.

1894

The First Sino-Japanese War begins when the Japanese fire upon a Chinese warship.

The First Sino-Japanese War begins when the Japanese fire upon a Chinese warship.

1714

The Great Northern War: The first significant victory of the Russian Navy in the naval battle of Gangut against the…

The Great Northern War: The first significant victory of the Russian Navy in the naval battle of Gangut against the Swedish Navy near the Hanko Peninsula.

1965

Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.

Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.

1948

Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer…

Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London.

1927

The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese…

The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the�

1801

First Barbary War: The American schooner USS Enterprise captures the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli in a single-ship…

First Barbary War: The American schooner USS Enterprise captures the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli in a single-ship action off the coast of modern-day Libya.

1327

First War of Scottish Independence: James Douglas leads a raid into Weardale and almost kills Edward III of England.

First War of Scottish Independence: James Douglas leads a raid into Weardale and almost kills Edward III of England.

1305

First Scottish War of Independence: Sir John Stewart of Menteith, the pro-English Sheriff of Dumbarton, successfully…

First Scottish War of Independence: Sir John Stewart of Menteith, the pro-English Sheriff of Dumbarton, successfully manages to capture Sir William Wallace of Scotland, leading to Wallace's subsequent�

1990

First American soldiers arrive in Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf War.

First American soldiers arrive in Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf War.

1987

Cold War: Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering…

Cold War: Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union.

1610

The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia.

The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia.

1953

First Indochina War: The French Union withdraws its forces from Operation Camargue against the Viet Minh in central…

First Indochina War: The French Union withdraws its forces from Operation Camargue against the Viet Minh in central Vietnam.

1914

World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.

World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.

1943

World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King…

World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.

1943

World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic…

World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program.

1965

Japanese prime minister Eisaku Satō becomes the first post-World War II sitting prime minister to visit Okinawa…

Japanese prime minister Eisaku Satō becomes the first post-World War II sitting prime minister to visit Okinawa Prefecture.