1776. The foundation stone of the far-famed observatory on Calton hill, near Edinburgh, Scotland, was laid.
1779. Battle of Minisink.
1793. The city of Mentz surrendered to the Prussians.
1794. John Benjamin de la Borde, a French writer, guillotined. He was valet to Louis XV, upon whose death he was appointed farmer-general.
1802. Action between the United States frigate Constellation, captain Murray, and 9 Tripolitan gun boats. Four of them were driven on shore, and the remainder took shelter in Tripoli.
1802. Marie Francis Xavier Bichat, an eminent French physician and author, died, aged 31.
1805. Action off Feroll, between the British fleet, 11 sail, and the French and Spanish fleets, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of two large ships captured.
1807. Battle of Novoleski; the advance of the Russians under prince Bagration defeated a strong body of French chasseurs with great slaughter, taking only 150 prisoners. Bagration rushed on, and near Mohiloff a sanguinary action took place. French loss 4,000; Russians lost 3,000.
1812. Battle of Salamanca, in Spain; the British under Wellington defeated the French under Marmont, who lost an arm. Of the French, 7,000 were taken prisoners,
and it was owing to the night and Clausel's skill and science that the army was saved from destruction. British loss 5,220.