📅 Today in HistoryOctober 15

Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later.

Battle of the Rhyndacus: The Latin emperor Henry of Flanders defeats the Nicaean emperor Theodore I Laskaris.

The Siege of Vienna ends when Austria routs the invading Ottoman forces, ending its European expansion.

Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption.

Qing forces capture the island of Zhoushan. Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, resident of the island and regent of the Southern Ming, flees to Kinmen.

The Battle of Raft Swamp marks the last battle fought in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War with a Patriot victory. It occurred four days before the British surrender at Yorktown.

The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon makes the first human ascent, piloted by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier.

Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted of treason.

Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

American Civil War: The Union garrison of Glasgow, Missouri surrenders to Confederate forces.