On this day in 1199, King Richard I of England, known as “The Lion-Hearted”, died at the age of 42 of an infected wound received while besieging Chaluz Castle during the Crusades.
On this day in 1789, George Washinton was unanimously elected the first president of the United States.
On this day in 1814, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was forced to abdicate unconditionally.
And on this day in 1896, a modern version of the ancient Olympic Games opened in Athens, initiated by French aristocrat Baron Pierre de Coubertin, with the goal of stimulating interest in physical fitness and promoting understanding between nations.