11 Things That Happened This Day In History

1. 1588 - English forces attack the Spanish Armada, permanently crippling Spain's 'invincible' fleet

2. 1940 - The German Luftwaffe begins a series of daylight air raids on Great Britain

3. 1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed by U.S. President Truman

4. 1963 - Some 15 thieves rob the Glasgow-to-London mail train, making off with more than £6 million. The legend of 'the Greta Train Robbery' begins

5. 1969 - Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, and four others are murdered by members of Charles Manson's 'family'

6. 1974 - Richard Nixon announces he is to step down as President of the United States - the first man ever to do so

7. 1988 - The Duke and Duchess of York announce the birth of their first child, Beatrice Elizabeth Mary

8. 1991 - John McCarthy, Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon, is set free after more than five years in captivity

9. 2000 - In Portugal, Oasis walks off stage for the second time in two weeks when drummer Alan White is hit by a rock

10. 2001 - Hollywood's 'golden couple' Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman announce they are getting divorced

11. 2008 - The Summer Olympic Games opened in Beijing, China

Source: BBC, Wikipedia, historyorb.com, infoplease.com, history.co.uk, brainyhistory.com, on-this-day.com, thepeopleshistory

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