Elizabeth II, who celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002, ascended the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland this day in 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI.

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1919: A German constitutional assembly met to form the Weimar Republic.

1862: Union naval commodore Andrew Foote, leading a flotilla of ironclads, captured Fort Henry, Tennessee, a strategic Confederate position during the American Civil War.

46 : Julius Caesar's forces delivered the final blow against supporters of Pompey the Great at the Battle of Thapsus.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan, State of the Union Address, 1984

Born this day in 1911, Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president (1981–89), was known for his fervent anticommunism, staunch conservatism, and appealing personal style that earned him the nickname the “Great Communicator.”

The Third Punic War, the last of three between Rome and Carthage, came to an end this day in 146 , culminating in the final destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its people, and Roman hegemony over the Mediterranean.

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1943: American middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, the “Bronx Bull,” handed Sugar Ray Robinson his first defeat.

1917: Mexico adopted its present constitution.

1900: The first of two Hay-Pauncefote treaties (named for U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and British Ambassador Lord Pauncefote) was signed between the United States and Great Britain over control of the proposed Panama Canal.

Hank Aaron

American professional baseball player Hank Aaron, born this day in 1934, was one of the sport's most prolific power hitters, surpassing batting records set by Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial, among others.