A pope resigned to save his soul

After five months as pope, Celestine V resigned on this day in 1294. Because he was struggling to fulfill his duties, after many years living as a hermit in a cave, he decided it would be dangerous for the church and for his soul if he continued. 1294 

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces during the Iraq War; three years later he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and was executed. 2003. 

Taylor Swift, one of the most influential and successful artists in contemporary music, was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania. 1989. 

The Japanese Imperial Army seized Nanjing, China, during the Sino-Japanese War, and carried out the Nanjing Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of as many as 300,000 Chinese citizens and soldiers. 1937. 

British astronomer J.P.M. Prentice discovered Nova Herculis, one of the brightest novas of the 20th century. 1934. 

The Four-Power Pact was signed during the Washington Conference by the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and France, stipulating that all the signatories would be consulted in the event of a controversy between two of them over “any Pacific question.” 1921. 

The Battle of Fredericksburg, a bloody engagement of the American Civil War in which Confederate troops were led to victory by General Robert E. Lee over the Union forces of General Ambrose Everett Burnside, was waged. 1862. 

Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first European to sight South Island, New Zealand. 1642.