1775 Paul Revere rides from Charlestown to Lexington to warn the Massachussetts colonists of the arrival of British troops at the start of the War of American Independence. Publication starts of the weekly Sydney Herald, Australia's oldest still existing newspaper. A giant earthquake strikes San Francisco. The quake and resulting fires devastate the city, leaving more than 1,000 dead and 200,000 people homeless. 1909 15th century French heroine Joan of Arc is beatified at a ceremony at the Vatican.
Turkey announces closure of Dardanelles Straits to shipping.
1927 Split develops in Kuomintang Party between Chiang Kai-Shek and radical elements. The first laundromat, the Washeteria, is opened at Fort Worth, Texas, by J.F. Cantrell. 1945 Ernie Pyle, one of the most famous war correspondents of World War II, is killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ii Shima in the Pacific. Lockhead Hudson aircraft crashes at Lae, Papua New Guniea, claiming 37 lives. 1949 Republic of Eire is formally proclaimed in Dublin.