On this day: 10 August

Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I.

Hungarian invasions of Europe: Forces under Otto the Great were victorious at the Battle of Lechfeld (depicted) near present-day Augsburg, Germany, holding off the incursions of the Magyars into Central Europe.

The Battle of Azaz ends with a humiliating retreat of the Byzantine emperor, Romanos III Argyros, against the Mirdasid rulers of Aleppo. The retreat degenerates into a rout, in which Romanos himself barely escapes capture.

Manfred, illegitimate son of Frederick II, is crowned king of Sicily.

Yekuno Amlak deposed the last Zagwe king and seized the imperial throne of Ethiopia, beginning the reign of the Solomonic dynasty, which would last for more than 700 years.

The Second Battle of Athenry takes place near Athenry during the Bruce campaign in Ireland.

Jaume Ferrer sets out from Mallorca for the "River of Gold", the Senegal River.

Battle of St. Quentin: Spanish victory over the French in the Italian War of 1551–59.

The Habsburg empire and the Ottoman empire sign the peace treaty of Vasvár, which results in peace until 1683.

King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeats the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel, effectively bringing about the end of the Dutch colonial rule in India.

The Louvre (pyramid pictured) in Paris, today the world's most-visited museum, opened with an exhibition of 537 paintings and 184 objets d'art.

Finnish War: Swedish forces led by General von Döbeln defeat Russian forces led by General Šepelev in the Battle of Kauhajoki.

P. T. Barnum begins his career as a showman and circus entrepreneur by exhibiting Joice Heth, an octogenerian African slave whom he claims was George Washington's nursemaid.

From measurements of its motion, German astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel deduced that Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, had an unseen companion.

American Civil War: The first major battle west of the Mississippi River, the Battle of Wilson's Creek, was fought.

José Antônio Saraiva announced that the Brazilian military would exact reprisals after Uruguay's governing Blanco Party refused Brazil's demands, beginning the Uruguayan War.

The Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers began an ultimately unsuccessful strike to reverse its declining fortunes and organize large numbers of new members.

Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of the Yellow Sea between the Russian and Japanese battleship fleets takes place.

Russo-Japanese War: Peace negotiations begin in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Second Balkan War: Delegates from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece sign the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the war.

World War I: Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI's representatives sign the Treaty of Sèvres that divides up the Ottoman Empire between the Allies.

Spanish Civil War: The Regional Defence Council of Aragon is dissolved by the Second Spanish Republic.

World War II: The Battle of Guam in the Pacific comes to an effective end.

World War II: The Battle of Narva on the Eastern Front ends with a defensive German victory.

The Japanese government announced that a message had been sent to the Allies accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration provided that it "does not comprise any demand that prejudices the prerogatives of the Emperor as sovereign ruler."

Candid Camera makes its television debut after being on radio for a year as The Candid Microphone.

An amendment to the National Security Act of 1947 enhances the authority of the United States Secretary of Defense over the Army, Navy and Air Force, and replaces the National Military Establishment with the Department of Defense.

First Indochina War: The French Union withdrew its forces from Operation Camargue against the Việt Minh in central modern-day Vietnam.

At Massena, New York, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Saint Lawrence Seaway is held.

Vietnam War: The U.S. Army begins Operation Ranch Hand, spraying an estimated 20 million US gallons (76,000 m3) of defoliants and herbicides over rural areas of South Vietnam in an attempt to deprive the Viet Cong of food and vegetation cover.

The Society for American Baseball Research is founded in Cooperstown, New York.

The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 became law, authorizing reparations to surviving Japanese Americans interned during World War II.

The Magellan space probe reaches Venus.

Two earthquakes affect New Zealand. A 7.0 Mw shock (intensity VI (Strong)) in the South Island was followed nine hours later by a 6.4 Mw event (intensity VII (Very strong)) in the North Island.

HRH Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah is proclaimed the crown prince of Brunei with a Royal Proclamation.

Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-105 to the International Space Station, carrying the astronauts of Expedition 3 to replace the crew of Expedition 2.

The Okinawa Urban Monorail is opened in Naha, Okinawa.

Amid large protests against the impending demolition of the Queen's Pier, the Hong Kong High Court dismissed legal attempts to preserve the landmark.