On this day in 1193, Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria and legendary Muslim commander during the Crusades, died in Damascus at the age of 56. He captured Jerusalem and defended it during the Third Crusade.
On this day in 1791, Vermont became the 14th state of the United States.
On this day in 1861, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th president of the United States, which was a country on the threshold of civil war.
On this day in 2010, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake rattled Taiwan, striking Jiasian Township, Kaohsiung County at 8:18 a.m.