- 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-al-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
Voyage of Discovery
1501 Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral and 6 ships begin their return voyage to Lisbon
- 1531 English Reformation parliament's 2nd sitting
Historic Publication
1605 The first edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid
- 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.
Historic Event
1765 Charles Messier catalogs M41 (galactic cluster in Canis Major)
Historic Event
1832 Charles Darwin lands at Porto Prayo in the Cape Verde islands, the first landing of his HMS Beagle voyage
- 1847 John C. Frémont 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 Munitions magazine explodes at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, killing or injuring 200 soldiers, carelessness of drunken soldiers blamed. [1]
- 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.
Historic Event
1897 John Dewey's essay "My Pedagogic Creed" appears in School Journal
- 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, Dey's Arena, Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Senators rout Dawson City (Yukon), 23-2 for 2-0 series sweep; most lopsided challenge playoff game in history; Frank McGee 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)
Historic Event
1914 Writer Maxim Gorky returns to Russia
- 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
Prohibition is Ratified
1919 The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, authorizing the prohibition of alcohol, is ratified by a majority of US states
Election of Interest
1921 Eleftherios Venizelos becomes Prime Minister of Greece (4th time)
Historic Event
1924 British Government of Stanley Baldwin resigns
- 1933 Cricket's Bodyline Tour: Australian batsman Bert Oldfield's skull fractured by delivery bowled by Englishman Harold Larwood during the 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
Music Concert
1938 1st jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band
- 1938 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg retains title by a massive 14 strokes ahead of Jane Cothran
- 1939 Daily newspaper comic strip "Superman" debuts
- 1939 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) begins a 14 month long bombing campaign in England
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941 US vice admiral Bellinger warns of an assault on Pearl Harbor
- 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
Historic Event
1944 General Eisenhower takes command of Allied Invasion Force in London
Historic Event
1945 Adolf Hitler moves into the Fuhrerbunker, his underground bunker in Berlin
- 1947 Vincent Aurial elected President of France
- 1948 35 Haganah members are ambushed & killed in Gush Etzyon
- 1949 Benjamin Britten's chamber opera "The 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
Sports History
1952 US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary
- 1953 Egyptian Premier General Naguib disbands all political parties
- 1953 KXLY TV channel 4 in Spokane, WA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
- 1954 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "South Pacific", starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, closes at the Majestic Theater, NYC, after 1928 performances;, winning 10 Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prize
- 1955 5th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 26-19; MVP: Billy Wilson, SF 49ers, WR
Historic Event
1956 Egyptian President Nasser pledges to reconquer Palestine
Sports History
1960 Detroit right wing Gordie Howe scores a goal and assist in his 888th career game, a 3-1 win at home over Chicago; becomes NHL's all time leading scorer, with 947 points passing Montreal's Maurice Richard
NBA All-Star Game
1962 12th NBA All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo: West beats East, 150-130; MVP: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks, C; All-Star record 27 rebounds
Historic Event
1963 Khrushchev claims to have a 100-megaton nuclear bomb
Historic Event
1963 Tennessee Williams' "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" premieres
NBA All-Star Game
1963 13th NBA All-Star Game, LA Memorial Sports Arena: East beats West, 115-108; MVP: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, C
- 1963 Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)
- 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 4th AFL All Star Game, Jeppeson Stadium, Houston: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-14; MVPs: Keith Lincoln, LA Chargers, RB; Willie Brown, Denver Broncos, DB
- 1965 The Searchers' "Love Potion Number 9" peaks at #3
- 1965 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
NFL Pro Bowl
1966 16th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: East beats West, 36-7; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals, LB
- 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
- 1966 Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards)
NHL Record
1966 Chicago Black Hawks' right wing Bobby Hull scores 4 goals (his 17th career hat trick) in a 6-5 loss to NY Rangers; becomes the first player in team history to score 300 goals
- 1967 1st black government installed in Bahamas led by Lynden Pindling as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party
- 1967 Lucius Amerson, becomes 1st southern (Alabama) African American sheriff in 20th century
- 1968 21st NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens: Toronto Maple Leafs beat All-Stars 4-3; MVP: Bruce Gamble, Toronto, G
- 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 [1]
- 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
- 1970 Inaugural Buffalo Sabres owners Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup Knox hire former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and head coach Punch Imlach in the same capacities for their new NHL franchise
World Record
1971 Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (1:58.7)
- 1972 Dutch speed skater Atje Keulen-Deelstra becomes European all-round ladies champion
- 1972 Super Bowl VI, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Miami Dolphins, 24-3; 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
Music Awards
1978 5th American Music Awards: Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac & Conway Twitty win
- 1978 Soyuz 27 returns to Earth
Historic Event
1979 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees Iran for Egypt during the Iranian Revolution
- 1979 Bakhtiar government established by the Shah in Iran, will preside until unrest in the country subsides
Film & TV History
1979 BBC landmark nature series "Life on Earth" presented by David Attenborough first shown on BBC One
Music History
1980 Paul McCartney is arrested at Tokyo International Airport for possession of marijuana; he is sent to jail for nine days before being deported
Sports History
1981 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
Music Single
1981 John Lennon's single "Woman" is posthumously released in the UK
- 1981 Protestant gunmen shoot & wound Bernadette Devlin McAliskey & husband
Sports History
1982 Edmonton's rookie goaltender Grant Fuhr has his 23-game unbeaten streak end with a 7-1 Oilers' defeat in Toronto
Music Awards
1984 11th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson win
Music History
1984 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados-possession of cannabis
- 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
Historic Event
1988 Czech dissident Václav Havel is arrested in Prague for taking part in demonstrations against the communist government
#1 in the Charts
1988 George Harrison's single "Got My Mind Set On You" tops the Billboard charts
Hall of Fame
1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: LaVern Baker; The Byrds; John Lee Hooker; The Impressions; Wilson Pickett; Jimmy Reed; Ike and Tina Turner; Howlin' Wolf; Dave Bartholomew; and Ralph Bass
Music History
1992 Eric Clapton performs for an episode of MTV "Unplugged" at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England. Recording won six Grammy Awards, and became Clapton's bestselling album, and the bestselling live album of all time
- 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'
Historic Event
2002 UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and freezes assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the members of the Taliban
- 2003 The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrates 16 days later on re-entry.
Golden Globes
2005 62nd Golden Globes: "The Aviator", Leonardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank win
- 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.
Golden Globes
2006 63rd Golden Globes: Brokeback Mountain, Philip Seymour Hoffman, & Felicity Huffman win
Golden Globes
2011 68th Golden Globes: The Social Network, Colin Firth, & Natalie Portman win
Historic Event
2011 French politician Marine Le Pen becomes the leader of the National Front Party
- 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
- 2019 Golden State Warriors break 2 franchise records in 142-111 win over Denver Nuggets; in 1st quarter, record 10 three-point field goals on way to franchise best 51 points in the period
- 2019 Australian Bureau of Meteorology tweets last four days were the country's hottest on record with Tarcoola, South Australia, reaching 49 C (120 F), Port Augusta 48.5 C (119 F)
