1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London, England.
1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
1934 – The American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Black Lake, Louisiana.
1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839) was birthed.
1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
1940 – “I’ll Never Smile Again” was recorded by Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey and the Pied Pipers. The song was the first #1 hit on the weekly Billboard Best Selling Singles chart. Since then, it has been a popular standard for many artists in a variety of genres.
1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
1949 – The Federal Republic of Germany is established and the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is proclaimed.
1958 – Drew Carey, American actor and game show host was born.
1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870) died.
1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes.
1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965) died.
2010 – Jamaican police begin a manhunt for drug lord Christopher Coke, after the United States requested his extradition, leading to three days of violence during which at least 73 bystanders are killed.
2013 – The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.