On this day: 14 July

King Otto II and his Frankish army are defeated by the Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy.

Louis VIII (seal pictured) began his three-year reign as King of France.

Battle of Vítkov Hill, decisive victory of Czech Hussite forces commanded by Jan Žižka against Crusade army led by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.

Joan of Arc, taken by the Burgundians in May, is handed over to Pierre Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais.

1454–1466 Thirteen Years' War: The Battle for Kneiphof ended with a decisive victory for the Teutonic Order.

John Hunyadi and his forces defeat the Ottoman fleet on the Danube, allowing them to reinforce and supply the besieged city of Belgrade.

An expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá leaves its base in San Diego and sets out to find the Port of Monterey (now Monterey, California).

Foundation of the Mission San Antonio de Padua in modern California by the Franciscan friar Junípero Serra.

Inaugural Fête de la Fédération is held to celebrate the unity of the French people and the national reconciliation.

The Sedition Act became law, making it a federal crime to write, publish, or utter false or malicious statements about the U.S. federal government.

The Finnish War: the Battle of Lapua is fought.

Opening of the first major US world's fair, the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City.

A seven-man mountaineering team made the first ascent of the Matterhorn, marking the end of the golden age of alpinism.

Armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance capture Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion.

The medieval St Mark's Campanile in Venice collapsed, also demolishing the Loggetta del Sansovino.

An expedition led by Peruvian explorer and farmer Agustín Lizárraga discovered the Incan city of Machu Picchu (pictured).

Harry Atwood, an exhibition pilot for the Wright brothers, is greeted by president William Howard Taft after he lands his aeroplane on the South Lawn of the White House, having flown from Boston.

The Battle of Delville Wood began as an action within the Battle of the Somme, lasting until 3 September 1916.

In the Wardha session of Congress, the "Quit India" resolution is approved, authorising Mahatma Gandhi to campaign for India's independence from Britain.

In Diamond, Missouri, the George Washington Carver National Monument becomes the first United States National Monument in honor of an African American.

Korean War: North Korean troops began attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in present-day Daejeon, South Korea.

Rawya Ateya takes her seat in the National Assembly of Egypt, thereby becoming the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world.

In the 14 July Revolution in Iraq, the monarchy is overthrown by popular forces led by Abd al-Karim Qasim, who becomes the nation's new leader.

Mariner 4 flyby of Mars takes the first close-up photos of another planet. The photographs take approximately six hours to be transmitted back to Earth.

Mario Bros. is released in Japan, beginning the popular Super Mario Bros franchise.

More than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour period in parts of Montreal, causing severe flooding.

Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative was leaked to and published by journalist Robert Novak.

Dedication of the statue of Rachel Carson, a sculpture of the environmentalist, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Lightning strikes started four fires in the Methow Valley in the U.S. state of Washington, collectively known as the Carlton Complex Fire.

NASA's New Horizons probe performs the first flyby of Pluto, and thus completes the initial survey of the Solar System.