Today in 1694 a Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England.2012; in 1789 the United States Department of Foreign Affairs is founded, later being renamed the United States Department of State; and in 2012 the Summer Olympics in London begin.

July 27 is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 157 days remaining until the end of the year.

Our on this day in history archives contain over 200,000 events, birthdays and deaths from 6,000 years of history. Here is a roundup of a few of them:

EVENTS

1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, somewhere North of the Firth of Forth.

1202 – Georgian-Seljuk Wars: At the Battle of Basian, the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum.

1214 – Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies.

1299 – According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding date of the Ottoman State.

1302 – Battle of Bopheus: Ottoman victory over the Byzantines, opening up Bahynia for Turkish conquest.

1549 – Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan.

1663 – The English Parliament passes the Second Navigation Act, requiring that all goods bound for American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports.

1689 – The Jacobite Army defeats Government forces in the Battle of Killiecrankie.

1694 – A Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England.

1778 – American Revolution: First Battle of Usant - British and French fleets fight to a stand-off.

1789 – The United States Department of Foreign Affairs is founded, later being renamed the United States Department of State.

1793 – Maximilien Robespierre takes control of the 'Committee of Public Safety'.

1794 – Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 'Enemies of the Revolution'.

1830 – The July Revolution in France against King Charles II of France.

1862 – Sailing from San Francisco to Panama City, the SS Golden Gate catches fire and sinks off Manzanillo, Mexico.

1865 – Welsh settlers arrive in Chubut, Argentina.

1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, from Valentia Island, Ireland to Heart's Content, Newfoundland.

1880 – Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand - Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeats a British Army.

1890 – Vincent van Gogh is believed to have shot himself, leading to his death two days later.

1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany makes a speech comparing the Germans to the Huns. The word 'Huns' has often been used as an offensive word to describe Germans ever since.

1919 – The Chicago Race Riot breaks out after an incident on the South Side. Subsequent rioting leads to 38 deaths.

1921 – University of Toronto researchers, led by Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulation regulates blood sugar.

1924 – The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris come to an end.

1929 – The Third Geneva Convention, on dealing with prisoners of war, is signed by 53 nations.

1940 – Bugs Bunny makes his debut (first appearance) on television.

1941 – World War II: Japanese troops occupy French Indochina, in what is now Vietnam.

1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt a final Axis advance into Egypt.

1945 – Clement Attlee becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1953 – The Korean War ends.

1955 – The Allied occupation of Austria officially ends.

1976 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Kakuei Tanaka is arrested on suspicion of violating foreign exchange and foreign trade laws.

1983 – At Weikada High Security Prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 18 Tamil prisoners are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners.

1990 – Belarus declares independence.

1990 – The Jamaat al-Muslimeen group attempts a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago.

1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC.

1996 – A bomb explodes at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, US, killing 1 person. Eric Rudolph carried out the attack.

1997 – Jan Ullrich becomes the first German to win the Tour de France.

1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria.

2002 – In New Zealand's election, Helen Clark's Labor Party Government is reelected.

2002 – The world's worst ever air show disaster occurs in Lviv, Ukraine, as a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes, killing 85 people.

2005 – NASA suspends Space Shuttle flights, just a day after the Discovery launch, as, during it, part of the foam insulation sheds from the fuel tank. Repairs are performed on space walks and the Shuttle lands safely on August 9.

2006 – The Federal Republic of Germany is deemed guilty in the loss of Bashkirian 2937 and DHL Flight 611, because it is illegal to outsource flight surveillance.

2007 – Two news helicopters, from TV Stations KNXV and KTVK collide over Phoenix, Arizona, while covering a police chase.

2012 – The 2012 Summer Olympics in London begin.

2013 – Between 65 and 100 people are estimated to have been killed in clashes between the military, and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo, Egypt.

2018 – The longest-lasting total lunar eclipse of the 21st century is seen in many parts of the world; coincidentally, it occurs at the same time as Mars' closest approach to Earth in 15 years.