MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2016: Mexican criminal Joaquín Guzmán (“El Chapo”), head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was captured in Los Mochis after escaping prison some six months earlier; he was later extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of various crimes. [ Test your knowledge of criminality and famous outlaws.]

2011: U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords was shot during an assassination attempt; although she survived, six others were killed. [Take our quiz about the history of American politics.]

1998: Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, convicted of plotting the 1993 terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, was sentenced to life in prison.

1959: Charles de Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic. [ Test your knowledge of French history .]

1815: U.S. General Andrew Jackson defeated Great Britain in the Battle of New Orleans, the final engagement in the War of 1812. [Take our history of war quiz.]