1401-Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) destroys Baghdad, killing 20,000 people1790-King Gustav III leads Swedish naval forces to victory over the Russian Baltic fleet during the Second Battle of Svensksund, destroying or capturing one-third of the Russian ships and ending the Russo-Swedish War1868-Louisiana and South Carolina are the last states to ratify the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing civil rights1893-Surgeon Daniel Hale Williams performs the first successful open-heart surgery when he repairs the torn pericardium of knife wound patient James Cornish, without the use of penicillin or blood transfusion 1917-British battleship HMS Vanguard explodes at Scapa Flow due to an internal explosion caused by faulty cordite, killing 804 crew members1971-National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger secretly visits the People's Republic of China to negotiate a detente between the U.S. and China2002-The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.2017-Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaims victory over Islamic State forces in Mosul