This Day in History: September 7

70 General Titus and the Roman army occupy and plunder Jerusalem

In this year, under the command of General Titus, the Roman army seizes and loots the city of Jerusalem, exerting their dominion over the region.

1714 The Treaty of Baden signed, ending the War of the Spanish Succession

The Holy Roman Empire and France formalize an agreement to end the War of the Spanish Succession. As a result of the treaty, France maintains Alsace and Landau, while Austria acquires the east bank of the Rhine.

1812 Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Bonaparte's pyrrhic victory against Russia

In the most violent battle of the Napoleonic era, Napoleon Bonaparte barely achieves a victory over Russian General Mikhail Kutuzov resulting in 70,000 causalities during the Battle of Borodino.

1822 Brazil's independence from Portugal declared by Pedro I

Pedro I, son of King Joao VI, proclaims Brazil's sovereignty from Portugal on Brazil's National Day.

1888 First baby placed in an incubator at State Emigrant Hospital

Edith Eleanor McLean becomes the first baby to be placed in an incubator at State Emigrant Hospital on Ward’s Island, New York.

1909 First pilot fatalities in aviation: Eugene Lefebvre

Eugene Lefebvre becomes the first victim of a fatal airplane crash while test piloting a new French Wright biplane at Juvisy.

1940 Start of The Blitz: German Luftwaffe bombs London

The German Luftwaffe initiates the Blitz, bombing London for the first of 57 successive nights, losing 41 bombers in preparation for the Nazi's invasion of Britain.

1977 Treaty giving the Panama Canal to Panama is signed

The United States and Panama sign the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, transferring control of the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to Panama. The United States had constructed and controlled the canal since 1904.

1978 The murder of Georgi Markov

Bulgarian writer and dissenter, Georgi Markov, is assassinated while crossing the Waterloo Bridge in London. His assailant, known as Piccadilly, uses a modified umbrella to shot a pellet filled with ricin into Markov's leg, leading to his death four days later from ricin poisoning.

1940 Germans initiate the Blitz over London

On this day, German forces begin their strategic bombing campaign against London and the United Kingdom, causing the deaths of over 20,000 people and the destruction of more than a million homes. The campaign lasted until May 1941, but failed to shatter British resolve.

1936 Extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger

The last surviving member of the carnivorous marsupial species known as the Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine, dies in captivity at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. Overhunting and the introduction of invasive species like dingos were significant contributors to their extinction.