17 July 1453-France routs England at Castillon; Hundred Years War closes. 1762-Tsar Peter III is killed in a palace coup, enabling his wife to become Tsarina Catherine. 1917-King -Emperor George V of the United Kingdom issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British royal family will bear the surname Windsor. 1936-Spanish military forces begin an uprising against the government; commence Spanish Civil War. 1945-Potsdam conference begins, as President Truman is notified that a successful atomic bomb test has taken place in New Mexico. Stalin is also notified, via the ring of Soviet spies who are working at the Los Alamos site. 1951-Prince Baudouin becomes the fifth King of the Belgians following the abdication of his father, King Leopold III. 1969-Generalissimo Franco names Prince Juan Carlos as his successor to rule Spain. 1975-Apollo XVIII and Soyuz XIX link in space. 1979-Samoza resigns as Nicaraguan President, fleeing the country in the wake of the Sandinista take-over.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:42:11 +0000