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June 28
1519. Charles V, already ruler of the Spanish Empire and only 19 years of age, is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He will spend much of his life at war, defending his vast realm. Upon his voluntary abdication of the throne, his empire is split, with his son inheriting the Spanish element with the German going to his younger brother. The two empires would remain mostly in alliance for the next 200+ years.
1778. The Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, is fought between the Americans and British. It is one of the largest battles of the Revolutionary War (by number of participants) and the last major battle in the northern theater. The battle was essentially won by the Americans, after the British retired at night to continue their withdrawal to New York.
1914. Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo by a young Serbian nationalist. Serbia is one of the many constituent states that form the ill-fated Austro-Hungarian Empire. The assassination pushes an incredible tense situation among hte major powers in Europe over the edge, and results in WWI, which involved over 70 million men in combat, including 60 million in Europe. The war will result in the dissolution of both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Tsarist Russia, and soon lead to the failure of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey. Germany, also defeated, is humiliated by the terms of her defeat as memorailized in the Treaty of Versailles, and which in turn will help pave the path to the even more significant WWII.
1950. Seoul is captured by North Korea. South Korean troops reel backwards, thoroughly demoralized and defeated and unable to deal effectively with North Korean armor, especially.
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