Today in History: First atomic bomb test

622 – The Hijrah begins: Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina marks Year 1 in the Islamic calendar.

1054 – East–West Schism: Papal legates place an excommunication bull on the altar of Hagia Sophia, formally splitting Western and Eastern Christianity.

1212 – Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: A pivotal crusader victory shifts the course of the Reconquista in Iberia.

1377 – Coronation of Richard II: At just 10 years old, Richard II ascends the English throne at Westminster Abbey.

1769 – Mission San Diego founded: Junípero Serra establishes the first California mission, planting the roots of what becomes San Diego.

1790 – U.S. capital established: Congress approves the Residence Act, designating the District of Columbia as the federal capital .

1942 – Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup: Vichy France arrests 13,152 Jews in Paris for deportation in one of the Holocaust’s grim chapters.

1945 – First atomic bomb test: The Trinity test near Alamogordo, New Mexico, ushers in the Atomic Age.

1969 – Launch of Apollo 11: The mission that ultimately lands humans on the Moon departs Cape Kennedy.

1999 – Death of JFK Jr.: John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette perish when their plane crashes near Martha’s Vineyard.