By Kaia Lee
1632: Sir Christopher Wren, the British architect most famous for designing Saint Paul’s Cathedral, was born.
1803: The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase treaty, doubling the size of the United States.
1827: The Battle of Navarino was fought during the Greek War of Independence. This was the last naval battle fought entirely with wooden ships.
1950: Tom Petty, the heartland rock frontman behind songs such as “Free Fallin’” and “American Girl,” was born in Gainesville, Florida.
1955: J.R.R. Tolkien’s final volume, The Return of the King of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was published.
1968: Dick Fosbury completely changed the high jump at the Mexico City Olympics by jumping over the bar backwards, creating the “Fosbury Flop.”
1971: Cordozer Calvin Broadus Jr. was born in Long Beach, California. Known by the alias Snoop Dog, the iconic nickname was given to him by his mother because she thought he looked exactly like Snoopy from Charlie Brown.
1973: Queen Elizabeth II opens the Sydney Opera House. The building’s sail-like design took 14 years to build.
1984: The very first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released at a local convention in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
2017: Taylor Swift releases the song “Gorgeous” at midnight, continuing her internet-breaking Reputation era.