On this day in history..

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Apr 15, 1813, U.S. troops under James Wilkinson attacked the Spanish-held city of Mobile which would be in the future state of Alabama.

 

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Apr 17, 1492, Christopher Columbus signed a contract with Spain to find a passage to Asia and the Indies.

 

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Apr 19, 1775, The American Revolution began as fighting broke out in Lexington, Massachusetts.

 

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Apr 20, 1657, English Admiral Robert Blake fought his last battle when he destroyed the Spanish fleet in Santa Cruz Bay.

 

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Apr 21, 1649, The Maryland Toleration Act was passed, allowing all freedom of worship.

 

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Apr 25, 1846, The Mexican-American War ignited as a result of disputes over claims to Texas boundaries. The outcome of the war fixed Texas' southern boundary at the Rio Grande River.

 

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Apr 26, 1514, Copernicus made his first observations of Saturn.

 

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Apr 27, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines.

 

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Apr 28, 1686, The first volume of Isaac Newton's "Principia Mathamatic" was published.

 

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May 03, 1802, Washington D.C. was incorporated as a city.

 

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May 04, 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on Manhattan Island. Native Americans later sold the island (20,000 acres) for $24 in cloth and buttons.

 

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May 06, 1527, German troops began sacking Rome, bringing about the end of the Renaissance.

 

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May 07, 1429, The English siege of Orleans was broken by Joan of Arc.

 

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May 10, 1503, Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands.

 

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May 11, 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor.

 

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May 12, 1780, Charleston, South Carolina fell to British forces.

 

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May 13, 1607, Jamestown, Virginia was settled as a colony of England.

 

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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=mexHdr><TD></TD><TD align=right>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=mexContent><TD vAlign=top><SCRIPT>addMexJSContent('writeTodayHistory()','','','','0');</SCRIPT><SCRIPT>writeTodayHistory()</SCRIPT>May 14, 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at age 4 upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

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May 16, 1770, Marie Antoinette, at age 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15.

 

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May 17, 1756, Britain declared war on France, beginning the French and Indian War.