This day in 1717 saw the premiere of George Frideric Handel’s Water Music, as King George I of Great Britain sailed down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians.
On this day in 1762 – Catherine II became tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III. She would later be known as Catherine the Great.
On this day in 1918, the deposed Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family were executed by Bolsheviks in the city of Yekaterinburg to ensure he could not be restored to power if the Russian Revolution failed.
On this day in 1936, an Armed Forces rebellion against the recently elected leftist Popular Front government ignited the Spanish Civil War.
On this day in 1945, the main three leaders of the Allied nations, Churchill, Truman and Stalin met in Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
On this day in 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down, causing the deaths of all 298 people on board.