On this day in 526 CE, an estimated 250,000 people died in an earthquake that destroyed the city of Antioch in modern-day Turkey.
On this day in 1578, the first stone was laid of the Pont Neuf – or “New Bridge” – in Paris. Despite its name, the bridge is the oldest bridge in the city still standing.
Big Ben, the famous clock tower of the British Houses of Parliament in London, began keeping time on this day in 1859.
The Battle of Jutland took place on this day in 1916. The largest naval battle of World War I took place in poor visibility and was inconclusive despite the loss of over 8,500 seamen on both sides. Afterwards both the British and German sides claimed to have won.