Today in History

From wikipedia.org:

Events
1497 - Battle of Deptford Bridge - Forces under King Henry VII soundly defeat troops led by Michael An Gof
1579 - Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England
1631 - Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spent more than 20 years to build her tomb, the Taj Mahal
1839 - In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the Edict of Toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is later established as a result
1885 - The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor
1928 - Aviator Amelia Earhart starts her attempt to become the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. She was a passenger; Wilmer Stutz was pilot and Lou Gordon, mechanic
1944 - Iceland becomes independent from Denmark and forms a republic

Births
1818 - Charles Gounod, French composer (d. 1893)
1882 - Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (d. 1971)
1898 - M. C. Escher, Dutch artist (d. 1972)
1917 - Lena Horne, singer

Deaths
1696 - John III Sobieski, king of Poland (b. 1629)
1940 - Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
1986 - Kate Smith, American singer

Holidays & observances
1944 - Icelandic Independence Day, from Denmark