1527-Spanish and German Imperial troops sack Rome, ending the Renaissance. Charles III, Duke of Bourbon is killed in the assault removing any restraint for the victorious soldiers.
1626-Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to be the Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1889-Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the lifts in the tower are not ready, so intrepid visitors have to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top
1937-German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and one on the ground
1941-Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov
1957-Pulitzer Prize for Biography awarded to John F. Kennedy for "Profiles in Courage"
1990-Former president P. W. Botha quits South Africa's ruling National Party
1994-Channel Tunnel linking Folkestone, England and Calais, France officially opens
Source: Korea Times News
