Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet defeated a British squadron on Lake Erie, securing American control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

Composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in the small village of Le Roncole, Italy, and would become the towering figure of Italian opera.

Napoleon's forces retreated after the four-day Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe before World War I, shattering French dominance over Germany.