- 1195 Earliest report of ball lighting in London by Benedictine monk Gervase of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury, [1]
- 1340 Rotterdam Netherlands founded
- 1413 King Ladislaw of Naples occupies Rome
- 1420 Troops of the Republic of Venice capture Udine, ending the independence of the Patriarchate of Aquileia
Treaty of Tordesillas
1494 Treaty of Tordesillas: Spain and Portugal divide the new world along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa
Historic Event
1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold; meeting begins between English Henry VIII and King Francis I of France at Balinghem, France
Historic Event
1614 2nd parliament of King James I, dissolves passing no legislation
- 1665 Boston's First Baptist Church, one of the oldest Baptist churches in America, is founded [NS March 1]
Great Plague of London
1665 Great Plague of London: Samuel Pepys writes in his diary of houses marked with a red cross in London's Drury Lane, meaning somebody inside is infected with the plague and must be locked in for 40 days or until death
Historic Event
1769 American frontiersman Daniel Boone ascends Pilot Knob, setting sight on the fertile hunting grounds of what is now known as the Bluegrass Region of the State of Kentucky [exact date disputed]
United States Declaration of Independence
1776 Richard Lee (Virginia) moves Declaration of Independence in Continental Congress
- 1780 Anti-Catholic riot in London, hundreds die
- 1788 French peasants stone the Army in Grenbole, an event known as the Day of the Tiles
- 1798 Jews of Pesaro Italy fast commemorating murder of Jews
- 1798 Thomas Malthus publishes the first edition of his influential 'Essay on the Principle of Population' (date of the unsigned preface)
- 1800 David Thompson reaches the mouth of the Saskatchewan River in Manitoba
- 1832 Asian cholera reaches Quebec, brought by Irish immigrants, and kills about 6,000 people in Lower Canada
- 1839 Hawaiian Declaration of Rights is signed
- 1860 Workmen start laying track for Market Street Railroad, San Francisco
- 1862 Skirmish at Union Church, Virginia (Peninsular)
- 1862 General B. Butler orders William Mumford hanged after he removed and destroyed US flag on display over New Orleans Mint
- 1862 The United States and Britain agree to suppress the slave trade
Battle of Interest
1863 Battle of Milliken's Bend, Lousisiana, Jefferson Davis' home burnt
- 1863 Mexico City captured by French troops
Presidential Convention
1864 Abraham Lincoln renominated for US President by the Republican Party
- 1866 1,800 Fenian raiders are repelled back to the United States after they loot and plunder around Saint-Armand and Frelighsburg, Quebec
- 1873 7th Belmont: James Roe aboard Springbok wins in 3:01.75
- 1875 California Rifle and Pistol Association founded
- 1880 War of the Pacific: The Battle of Arica, assault and capture of Morro de Arica (Arica Cape), that ended the Campaña del Desierto (Desert Campaign).
- 1881 15th Belmont: T. Costello aboard Saunterer wins in 2:47
- 1887 Monotype type-casting machine patented by Tolbert Lanston, Washington, D.C.
- 1892 John J. Doyle of Clev Spiders is 1st to pinch hit in a baseball game
- 1892 Republican convention in Minneapolis begins
- 1892 Creole shoemaker Homer Plessy buys whites-only train ticket in New Orleans in act of civil disobedience - results in landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Sports History
1900 British Open Men's Golf, St Andrews: Englishman J.H. Taylor wins title for 3rd time; beats runner-up Harry Vardon by 8 strokes
- 1905 Norway dissolves union with Sweden (in effect since 1814)
- 1906 Chicago Cubs score 11 runs in 1st inning of 19-0 drubbing of New York Giants off future Baseball Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity; worst beating in Giants franchise history
- 1906 Famous Cunard passenger liner Lusitania launches
- 1909 Cleveland Industrial Exposition opens
Film & TV History
1909 Mary Pickford makes her screen debut at the age of 16
Historic Event
1916 Theodore Roosevelt declines nomination of the Progressive Party and throws his support behind Republican Charles Evans Hughes
Sports History
1924 56th Belmont: Earl Sande aboard Mad Play wins in 2:18.8
Historic Event
1924 George Leigh-Mallory disappears 775' from Everest's summit
- 1926 Swedish government of Ekman forms
- 1929 Margaret Bondfield becomes 1st British female cabinet minister (Labour)
- 1929 Vatican City becomes a sovereign state
- 1930 62nd Belmont: Earl Sande aboard Gallant Fox wins in 2:31.6
- 1932 At 47, Brooklyn pitcher Jack Quinn becomes oldest player in MLB history to record an extra-base hit (double) as the Dodgers beat Chicago Cubs, 9-2
Historic Event
1933 George Balanchine and Kurt Weills' ballet chanté "7 Deadly Sins" premieres in Paris
- 1936 Yanks beat Indians 5-4 in 16; longest game without a strikeout
Very Rare Photo of the Supreme Court
1937 Time magazine publishes the second of the only two known photos taken of the United States Supreme Court in session
Historic Event
1938 The Douglas DC-4E makes its 1st test flight
- 1940 British/French troops evacuate Narvik
US Golf Open
1941 US Open Men's Golf, Colonial CC, Fort Worth: In sweltering heat, Craig Wood wins by 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Denny Shute
Sports History
1941 73rd Belmont: Eddie Arcaro wins aboard Whirlaway to claim first of 2 Triple Crowns
Historic Event
1941 Chemists Archer John Porter Martin and Richard L. M. Synge give the first demonstration of partition chromatography (separation of mixtures) at a meeting of the Biochemical Society held at the National Institute for Medical Research, Hampstead
- 1942 USS Yorktown sinks near Midway Island
Victory in Battle
1942 Battle of Midway ends: Admiral Chester Nimitz wins 1st World War II naval defeat of Japan
- 1942 Germany Army marches into Sebastopol, Russia
- 1942 Japanese troops land on Attu, Aleutian Islands
- 1944 Achilles Veen soccer team forms in Veen
- 1944 Canadian 50th Division occupies Bayeux during the Normandy invasion
- 1944 British forces attack Bréville in France during the Normandy invasion while other British forces attempt to encircle Caen
- 1946 Pirates players vote 20-16 to walkout rather than play the Giants
- 1946 US Supreme Court bans discrimination in interstate travel
- 1948 Communist complete takeover of Czechoslovakia; President Bernes resigns
- 1948 KVP wins Dutch Second-Parliamentary election
- 1952 "3 Wishes after Jamie" closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 94 performances
- 1952 Curtis Cup Women's Golf, Muirfield, Scotland: Great Britain & Ireland score first ever win in the contest; beat US, 5-4
- 1952 84th Belmont: Eddie Arcaro aboard One Count wins in 2:30.2
- 1953 1st color network telecast in compatible color (Boston Massachusetts)
- 1953 Mary Terrell wins struggle to end segregation in Washington, D.C. restaurants
- 1953 WDAU (now WYOU) TV channel 22 in Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA (CBS) begins
- 1954 1st microbiology laboratory dedicated (New Brunswick NJ)
- 1955 "$64,000 Question" hosted by Hal March, premieres on CBS TV
TV Show Appearance
1955 1st President to appear on color TV (Eisenhower)
Historic Event
1955 India Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visit USSR
- 1956 Singapore government of Marshall resigns
- 1957 Mickey Stewart holds 7 cricket catches for Surrey v Northants
- 1958 90th Belmont: Pete Anderson aboard Cavan wins in 2:30.2
- 1958 Battles between Turkish & Greeks Cypriots break out
- 1959 KLX-AM in Oakland California changes call letters to KEWB (now KNEW)
Historic Event
1962 NASA civilian test pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to 31,580 m
- 1963 1st Rolling Stones TV appearance (Thank Your Lucky Stars) & release 1st single, "Come On"
- 1964 Beatles travel canals of Amsterdam
- 1965 Gemini 4 completes 62 orbits
- 1965 Morocco King Hassan suspends constitution, grabs power
- 1965 Sony Corp introduced its home video tape recorder, priced at $995
- 1965 The Supreme Court of the United States decides on Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples
Sports History
1966 MLB Draft: New York Mets pass on Reggie Jackson to select Antelope Valley HS catcher Steve Chilcott #1
Assassination
1968 Sirhan Sirhan indicted for the assassination of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy
- 1968 The body of assassinated US Senator Robert F. Kennedy lies in state at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
Television Debut
1969 "Johnny Cash Show" debuts on ABC-TV
- 1969 101st Belmont: Braulio Baeza aboard Arts & Letters wins in 2:28.8
Television Premiere
1969 Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash combine on a Grand Ole Opry TV special
Music Premiere
1969 Supergroup Blind Faith's debut performance in Hyde Park, London, featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Steve Baler and Rick Grech
Sports History
1970 American jockey Bill Shoemaker passes Johnny Longden with his 6,033 career win
- 1970 The Who's "Tommy" is performed at NY's Lincoln Center
- 1970 French Open Men's Tennis: Czech star Jan Kodeš wins his first major title; beats Željko Franulović of Yugoslavia 6-2, 6-4, 6-
- 1971 Soviet Soyuz 11 crew completes 1st transfer to orbiting Salyut space station
- 1972 Musical "Grease" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 3,388 performances
Historic Event
1972 West German Chancellor Willy Brandt visits Israel
#1 in the Charts
1975 "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" by John Denver hits #1
- 1975 Dennis Lillee takes 1st one-day 5WI, 5-34 v Pakistan World Cup
- 1975 Sri Lanka's 1st one-day international, v WI Cricket World Cup
- 1975 Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder for sale to the public
Television Premiere
1976 NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor & David Brinkley, premieres
Sex Pistols' Break Up
1977 During the Queen's Jubilee, the Sex Pistols attempt to perform on a boat on the River Thames, but are forced to stop by the police
- 1978 32nd NBA championship: Washington Bullets defeat Seattle Supersonics in 7 games
- 1978 Emmy 5th Daytime Award presentation
- 1979 52nd National Spelling Bee: Katie Kerwin wins spelling maculature
- 1979 Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched
- 1979 Portugal government of Mota Pinto resigns
Music History
1979 Rock 'n' roll musician Chuck Berry is charged with tax evasion
French Open Women's Tennis
1980 French Open Women's Tennis: Chris Evert retains title; beats Virginia Ruzici of Romania 6-0, 6-3 for her 10th Grand Slam singles crown
French Open Men's Tennis
1981 French Open Men's Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins 11th and final career Grand Slam title; Open era record 6th French title; beats Ivan Lendl 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Music City News Awards
1982 16th Music City News Country Awards: Barbara Mandrell wins
Historic Event
1982 Hissène Habré's rebel army occupies N'djamena the capital of Chad
Sports History
1982 LA Dodger Steve Garvey is 5th to play in 1,000 consecutive games
Sports History
1982 NY Mets draft Dwight Gooden, Roger McDowell & Randy Myers
- 1982 Steve Garvey plays in his 1,000th consecutive game & goes 0-for-4
Meeting of Interest
1982 US President Ronald Reagan meets with Pope John Paul II at Vatican City, Rome and later Queen Elizabeth II
Sports History
1983 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton temporarily passes Houston Astro Nolan Ryan with his 3,552 strike out
- 1986 118th Belmont: Chris McCarron aboard Danzig Connect wins in 2:29.8
- 1986 Pirates draft 3rd baseman Jeff King #1
- 1986 French Open Women's Tennis: Chris Evert beats Martina Navratilova 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 for her 18th and final Grand Slam title and record 7th French singles crown
- 1987 41st Tony Awards: Fences & Les Miserables win
- 1987 Andy Van Slyke HRs off R McDowell in both ends of double header
French Open Men's Tennis
1987 French Open Men's Tennis: Czech star Ivan Lendl retains title; beats Mats Wilander of Sweden 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6
- 1988 Aluminum contaminates Cornwall's water supply
- 1989 23 year old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires
- 1989 Atlanta Fulton County Comm approves $210M stadium for the Falcons
- 1989 For one second this morning, the time is 01:23:45, 6-7-89
- 1989 Suriname SLM-173 (DC-8) crashes near Paramaribo Airport killing 173
Sports History
1989 Wayne Gretzky wins his 9th NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years
- 1989 1st Baseball game to start outdoors & end indoors, as Toronto Blue Jays stadium closes roof during game at 8:48, & beat Brewers 4-2
Music History
1990 Michael Jackson enters St. John's Hospital and Health Center, near his home, for chest pains after a dance rehearsal and exercise session
Historic Event
1990 South African President F. W. de Klerk lifts 4 year state of emergency
- 1991 Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) erupts for 1st time
- 1992 "Small Family Business" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 48 performances
- 1992 NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) launches
- 1992 French Open Men's Tennis: American Jim Courier retains title; beats Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
Music City News Awards
1993 27th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson & Vince Gill win
- 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame breaks ground for their museum in Cleveland, Ohio
Sports History
1993 Cricket's Graham Gooch dismissed handled the ball vs Australia at Old Trafford
Baseball Record
1994 A's outfielder Rickey Henderson steals his 1,100th career base
- 1995 The long range Boeing 777 enters service with United Airlines
- 1996 Julia and Noah wed on "All My Children"
- 1997 129th Belmont: Chris McCarron aboard Touch Gold wins in 2:28.8
- 1997 Cosmos 2344 Proton-K Launch (Russia), Failed
- 1997 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings edge Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 for a 4-0 series sweep; 8th title in Wings' franchise history and first since 1955
French Open Women's Tennis
1997 French Open Women's Tennis: Iva Majoli of Croatia wins her 1st and only career Grand Slam singles title; upsets world #1 Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-2
- 1998 James Byrd, Jr. is dragged to death by Shawn Allen Berry, Lawrence Russel Brewer, and John William King in Jasper, Texas in a racially-motivated hate crime