Event of Interest
27 BC The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate
Augustus Caesar
- 550 Gothic War (535-552): The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison
- 929 Caliphate of Cordoba is established by Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III
- 1120 The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
- 1219 Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, thousands killed
- 1362 A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt
- 1412 The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy
- 1492 The first grammar of a modern language, Spanish, is presented to Queen Isabella.
Historic Discovery
1493 Christopher Columbus leaves the New World and sets sail for Spain
Christopher Columbus
Event of Interest
1501 Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral and 6 ships begin their return voyage to Lisbon
Pedro Álvares Cabral
- 1572 Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England
- 1581 English parliament passes laws against Catholicism
- 1605 The first edition of Book One of "Don Quixote" is published in Spain
- 1707 The Act of Union is ratified by the Scottish Parliament
- 1749 Hoax article advertising fictitious theatrical performer "The Bottle Conjuror" drew huge crowds to the Haymarket Theatre, London, whose inevitable non-appearance caused a riot. It's alleged the Duke of Montagu perpetrated the fiasco to win a bet
- 1756 Britain & Prussia sign Treaty of Westminster
- 1761 The British capture Pondicherry, India, from the French.
- 1765 Charles Messier catalogs M41 (galactic cluster in Canis Major)
- 1776 Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks
- 1777 Vermont declares independence from New York
- 1780 Battle of Cape St Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara
Event of Interest
1832 Charles Darwin lands at Porto Prayo in the Cape Verde islands, the first landing of his HMS Beagle voyage
Charles Darwin
- 1847 John C. Fremont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory
- 1862 Hartley Colliery disaster results in 204 deaths
- 1863 -Aug 23rd) Cruise of CSS Florida
- 1864 Heavy fighting takes place near Dandridge, Tennessee
- 1865 Drunken sailor attacks munitions at Ft Fisher NC, 40 die
- 1865 General William Sherman issues Field Order #15 (land for blacks)
- 1865 San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle starts
- 1868 Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit
- 1870 Virginia becomes 8th state readmitted to US after Civil War
- 1871 Jefferson Long of Georgia sworn in as 2nd black congressman
- 1877 Color organ (for light shows) patented, by Bainbridge Bishop
- 1878 Captain Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule
- 1879 January record 13" of snow falls in NYC (broken Jan 7, 1996)
- 1883 Pendleton Act creates basis of US Civil Service system
- 1883 Quebec Rugby Football Union forms
- 1887 Cliff House damaged when powder cargo of schooner "Parallel" explodes
- 1889 128°F (53°C), Cloncurry, Queensland (Australian record)
- 1896 Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire.
Event of Interest
1897 John Dewey's essay "My Pedagogic Creed" appears in School Journal
John Dewey
- 1900 The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands
- 1900 The US gains control over Tutuila in Samoa and several smaller Pacific islands
- 1905 Baseball outfielder Frank Huelsman completes eighth transaction in 8 months
- 1905 Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Dawson City (Yukon) in 2 games Ottawa Silver 7 beats Dawson City (Yukon) 23-2 for Stanley Cup, this is most lopsided playoff game, Frank McGee scores 14 goals
- 1906 -Apr 13] Conference of Algeciras (about Morocco)
- 1908 Pinnacles National Monument, California established
- 1909 British explorers David, Mawson & Mackay reach south magnetic pole as part of the Nimrod Expedition
- 1911 Pandora becomes 1st 2-man sailboat to round Cape Horn west to east
- 1913 British House of Commons accepts Home Rule for Ireland (but the Great War gets in the way of it happening)
Event of Interest
1914 Writer Maxim Gorky returns to Russia
Maxim Gorky
- 1915 Congress authorizes $1 & $50 Panama-Pacific Intl Expo gold coin
- 1917 The Greek Government accepts reparations for Allied losses sustained in recent actions in Greece
- 1917 "Zimmermann Telegram" is sent from Germany to Mexico, stating in the event of the US entering World War I on the allied side, Mexico would be given Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Intercepted by British intelligence and partially deciphered by the next day. It's release in March shifts US public opinion in favor of war against Germany.
- 1918 Austria and Germany are disrupted by strikes as people express impatience with leaders continuing the war
- 1919 Prohibition ratified by 3/4 of US states; Nebraska is 36th
- 1920 1st assembly of the League of Nations is held in Paris
- 1920 Georgia declares independence
- 1920 Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated is founded at Howard University
- 1921 Eleftherios Venizelos becomes Prime Minister of Greece (4th time)
Event of Interest
1924 British Government of Stanley Baldwin resigns
Stanley Baldwin
Leon Trotsky
- 1925 Leon Trotsky resigns as chairman of the Russian Revolutionary Military Council as he and Stalin battle for power in the aftermath of Lenin's death.
Donald Bradman
- 1933 Bodyline Tour: Australian batsman Bert Oldfield's skull fractured by delivery by English bowler Harold Larwood third test in Adelaide
- 1936 1st photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah, Florida
- 1936 Screen Actors Guild incorporates with King Vidor as president
- 1936 Spanish socialists, communists and anarchists form Unidad Popular
- 1938 1st jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall (Benny Goodman)
- 1939 Daily newspaper comic strip "Superman" debuts
- 1939 The IRA begins a bombing campaign in England
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941 US vice admiral Bellinger warns of an assault on Pearl Harbor
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- 1941 War Department forms first Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets
- 1942 William Knudsen becomes 1st civilian appointed a general in US army
- 1943 -60°F (-51°C), Island Park Dam, Idaho (state record)
- 1943 1st US air raid on Ambon
- 1943 German 2nd SS-Panzer division evacuates Charkow
- 1943 Red Army recaptures Pitomnik airport at Stalingrad
Event of Interest
1944 General Eisenhower takes command of Allied Invasion Force in London
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Event of Interest
1945 Adolf Hitler moves into the Fuhrerbunker, his underground bunker in Berlin
Adolf Hitler
- 1947 Vincent Aurial elected President of France
- 1948 35 Haganah members are ambushed & killed in Gush Etzyon
- 1949 "Rape of Lucretia" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 23 performances
- 1949 KNBH (now KNBC) TV channel 4 in Los Angeles, CA (NBC) 1st broadcast
- 1949 WTOP (now WUSA) TV channel 9 in Washington, D.C. (CBS) 1st broadcast
- 1950 Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands recognize Israel
- 1951 Viet Minh offensive against Hanoi
- 1951 World's largest gas pipeline opens (Brownsville Texas, to 134th St, New York City)
- 1952 New Dutch bible translation finished
Event of Interest
1952 US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary
Stan Musial
- 1953 Egyptian Premier General Naguib disbands all political parties
- 1953 KXLY TV channel 4 in Spokane, WA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
- 1954 "South Pacific" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 1928 performances
- 1955 NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 26-19
- 1956 Egyptian President Nasser pledges to reconquer Palestine
- 1957 3 B-52s leave California for 1st non-stop round world flights
- 1957 Cavern Club opens on Matthews Street in Liverpool, England, home of The Beatles' 1st appearance
- 1958 William Gibson's "Two for the Seesaw" premieres in NYC
- 1961 "Conquering Hero" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 8 performances
- 1961 Russian espionage ring detected in Great Britain
- 1962 Shooting begins on "Dr No" the first James Bond film
- 1962 Suit accuses NYC Board of Education uses "racial quotas"
- 1962 12th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 150-130 at St. Louis
Event of Interest
1963 Khrushchev claims to have a 100-megaton nuclear bomb
Nikita Khrushchev
Event of Interest
1963 Tennessee Williams' "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" premieres
Tennessee Williams
- 1963 13th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 115-108 at Los Angeles
- 1964 "Hello, Dolly!" opens at St James Theater NYC for 2,844 performances
- 1964 AL owners vote 9-1 against Charlie Finley moving KC A's to Louisville
- 1965 "Oh What a Lovely War" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 125 performances
- 1965 "Outer Limits" last airs on ABC-TV
- 1965 AFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 38-14
- 1965 The Searchers' "Love Potion Number 9" peaks at #3
- 1965 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- 1966 Harold R Perry becomes 2nd black Roman Catholic bishop in US
- 1966 Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi seizes power in the chaos caused by a military coup and becomes the Nigerian Head of State
- 1967 1st black government installed in Bahamas
- 1967 Lucius Amerson, becomes 1st southern (Alabama) African American sheriff in 20th century
- 1968 21st NHL All-Star Game: Toronto beat All-Stars 4-3 at Toronto
- 1968 Jay Allen's "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" premieres in NYC
- 1968 The Youth International Party is founded.
- 1969 Soviet Soyuz 4 & Soyuz 5 perform 1st transfer of crew in space
- 1970 Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause
- 1970 NFL realigns into 3 divisions (down from 4)
- 1970 AAU player Steve Myers makes a basketball field goal of 92'3½" from out of bounds, Tacoma-it shouldn't have counted, but was allowed
- 1970 Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects
Coup d'état
1970 4 months after leading a coup against monarchy, Muammar Gaddafi takes over rule of Libya
Muammar Gaddafi
- 1971 Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (1:58.7)
- 1972 Atje Keulen-Deelstra becomes European all-round lady skating champ
- 1972 Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys-24, Miami-3 in New Orleans Super Bowl MVP: Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB
- 1973 NBC presents 440th & final showing of "Bonanza"
- 1973 USSR's Lunakhod 2 begins radio-controlled exploration of Moon
Historic Publication
1974 "Jaws" by Peter Benchley is published by Doubleday
Peter Benchley
Music Awards
1978 5th American Music Awards: Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac & C Twitty
Stevie Wonder
- 1978 Soyuz 27 returns to Earth
Event of Interest
1979 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees Iran for Egypt during the Iranian Revolution
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
- 1979 Bakhtiar government established by the Shah in Iran, will preside until unrest in the country subsides
Event of Interest
1980 Paul McCartney jailed in Tokyo for 10 days on marijuana possession
Paul McCartney
Event of Interest
1981 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
Leon Spinks
Event of Interest
1981 Ivan Lendl intentionally loses a match in Volvo Masters in order to avoid having to play Bjorn Borg
Ivan Lendl
Björn Borg
Music Awards
1984 11th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson win
Michael Jackson
Event of Interest
1984 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados-possession of cannabis
Linda McCartney
- 1985 "Playboy" announces end of stapling centerfolds
- 1986 Police arrested 3 IRA-terrorists in Amsterdam
- 1986 First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force.
- 1988 4th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins
- 1988 Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder fired from CBS for racial remarks
- 1988 NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix
Event of Interest
1988 Czech dissident Václav Havel is arrested in Prague for taking part in demonstrations against the communist government
Václav Havel
- 1989 USSR announces plan for 2-yr manned mission to Mars
- 1989 5th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins
- 1990 2 Bank of Credit & Commerce members plea guilty to money laundering
- 1991 7th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins
- 1992 "Two Shakespearean Actors" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 29 performances
- 1992 Chapultepec Peace Accords are signed in Mexico City which ends the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War
- 1993 25th NAACP Image Awards: "Boyz n the Hood" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
- 1994 Scott skates world record 1000m (1:12.54)
- 1995 UPN (Universal-Parmount Network) begins telecasting (WWOR in NYC)
- 1997 Anthony Stuart takes ODI hat-trick, Aus v Pakistan, MCG
- 2001 Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
- 2001 US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War
- 2001 A fuel supply tanker runs aground off the island of San Cristobal, causing an 'ecological disaster'
Event of Interest
2002 UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and freezes assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the members of the Taliban
Osama bin Laden
- 2003 The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry.
Film and TV Awards
2005 62nd Golden Globes: "The Aviator", Leonardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank win
Leonardo DiCaprio
Hilary Swank
- 2005 At 66 years old, Romanian university lecturer Adriana Illiescu becomes the oldest birth mother in the world
Election of Interest
2006 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Film and TV Awards
2006 63rd Golden Globes: Brokeback Mountain, Philip Seymour Hoffman, & Felicity Huffman win
Film and TV Awards
2011 68th Golden Globes: The Social Network, Colin Firth, & Natalie Portman win
Colin Firth
Natalie Portman
Event of Interest
2011 French politician Marine Le Pen becomes the leader of the National Front Party
Marine Le Pen
- 2013 24 people die after three car bombs exploded in Idlib Governorate, Syria
- 2013 A four day occupation of an Algerian BP facility by Amenas militants begins, killing 48 hostages
- 2013 25 people are killed after an apartment block collapses in Alexandria, Egypt
- 2014 19th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: 12 Years a Slave wins Best Film
- 2016 First ever flower grown in space - a zinnia aboard the International Space Station using NASA Veggie system