Black Death
1348 Ship from Bordeaux carrying the plague, lands in Melcombe Regis (now Weymouth), Dorset
The Protestant Reformation
1521 Parliament of Worms installs edict against Martin Luther
Hernando de Soto's Expedition lands in Florida
1541 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his expedition discover the Mississippi River
Treaty of Interest
1624 Hungarian King Bethlen Gabor & Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II sign Treaty of Vienna
- 1639 William Coddington founds Newport, Rhode Island
Historic Event
1660 English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England
- 1721 Michelangiolo dei Conti succeeds Pope Clement XI, as Innocent XIII
- 1741 France & Bavaria sign Covenant of Nymphenburg
- 1784 Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough, South Carolina)
- 1787 First US prison reform society formed, the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons led by Dr. Benjamin Rush
- 1792 British Captain George Vancouver sights and names Mt Rainier, Washington
- 1792 US establishes the military draft
- 1821 Greek War of Independence: Greeks defeat the Turks in Gravia
- 1823 "Home! Sweet Home!" by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London
- 1834 Prussia, Austria and Russia sign classified accord about Belgium
Historic Publication
1835 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen "Fairy Tales" published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark
- 1840 Alexander Wolcott patents Photographic Process
- 1842 Versailles to Paris train catches fire; 50 die
- 1846 1st major battle of Mexican War fought at Palo Alto, Texas
- 1847 Scot Robert Thompson patents rubber tyre
- 1852 Second London protocol signed reaffirming Danish federation control of independent Duchies of Holstein, Lauenburg and Schleswig
Conference of Interest
1858 John Brown holds antislavery convention
- 1861 Richmond, Virginia, is named the capital of the Confederacy
- 1862 Valley Campaign: Federals repulsed at Battle of McDowell, Virginia
- 1863 Confederación Granadina becomes Estados Unidos de Colombia
- 1864 Actions at Stony Creek/Nottoway bridge, Virginia (Drewry's Bluff)
- 1864 Atlanta Campaign: Severe fighting near Dalton
- 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House begins
- 1871 British-US treaty ends Alabama dispute
- 1877 1st Westminster Dog Show held
- 1878 1st unassisted triple play in organized baseball, by Paul Hines
Historic Event
1878 David Edward Hughes' paper on the idea for a microphone is read before the Royal Society of London by Thomas Henry Huxley
- 1879 George Selden files for 1st patent for a gasoline-driven automobile
Contract of Interest
1881 Henry Morton Stanley signs the first of many contracts with the Congolian monarch
- 1882 David Belasco's "La Belle Russe" premieres in NYC
- 1885 Sarah Ann Henley survives 76-m jump from Clifton Bridge in Bristol, England
- 1886 Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta sells the first Coca-Cola (contained cocaine)
- 1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki
- 1896 Yorkshire Cricket all out for 887 against Warwickshire
- 1897 22nd Preakness: T Thorpe aboard Paul Kauvar wins in 1:51¼
- 1898 The first games of the Italian Football League are played
- 1899 The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin opens
Scientific Discovery
1899 Ernest Rutherford publishes his discovery of two different kinds of radiation (Alpha and Beta Particles)
- 1900 John McGraw & Wilbert Robinson sign with Cardinals
- 1901 In their long-delayed AL home opener, Boston defeats Philadelphia 12-4
- 1901 A British appointed commission estimates today that some 1,250,000 Indians have died after a severe drought, lasting since 1899
- 1902 Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors
- 1905 Union of Unions organizes In Russia under the chairmanship of Paul Miliukov and joins liberal groups demanding parliamentary government and universal suffrage
- 1906 Philadelphia A's pitcher Chief Benders plays outfield & hits 2 HRs
- 1907 Boston's Big Jeff Pfeffer no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 6-0
Boxing Title Fight
1907 Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after beating "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien on points in 20 rounds in Los Angeles, California
- 1909 American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC
- 1909 British runner Henry Barrett runs world record marathon (2:42:31) in the Polytechnic Marathon in London
- 1912 Film and television production and distribution studio Paramount Pictures is founded
- 1915 41st Kentucky Derby: Joe Notter aboard Regret wins in 2:05.4
- 1916 German munitions bunker in Fort Douaumont explodes killing 679 German soldiers
- 1916 Irishmen Eamon Kent, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert and Sean Houston are executed by British authorities following the Easter Rising at Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin
- 1919 1st transatlantic flight take-off by a navy seaplane
- 1919 Appingedam soccer team forms
End of World War I
1919 Edward George Honey first proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, leads to the creation of Remembrance Day
Music History
1924 Arthur Honegger's "Pacifica 231" premieres
- 1924 Memel territories given to Lithuania
- 1924 Workers at Werkspoor in Amsterdam strike against 3rd wage cut
- 1925 50th Preakness: Clarence Kummer aboard Coventry wins in 1:59
- 1925 French colonial army beats Rifkabylen in Morocco
- 1926 A Philip Randolph organizes Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
- 1926 Fire breaks out in Fenway Park, home of Boston Red Sox baseball team
- 1929 Jan Mayen island, 500 km NNE of Iceland, incorporated into Norway
Sports History
1929 NY Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell no-hits Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-0 at the Polo Grounds, NYC
Contract of Interest
1929 Soviet government contract Albert Kahn Associates architectural firm to design the USSR's 1st tractor plant
- 1931 Operette "Land of Smiles" premieres in London
Historic Event
1933 Mahatma Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest against British oppression in India
- 1935 Cincinnati Red Ernie Lombardi doubles in 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th beat Phils 15-4
- 1936 Jockey Ralph Neves unexpectedly revived after being declared dead after a fall. His wife faints when he returned to track
- 1937 63rd Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on War Admiral wins 2:03.2
- 1938 Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks" premieres in Washington, D.C.
- 1941 German Q-ship Pinguin sinks in Indian Ocean
- 1942 Aircraft carrier USS Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack in Coral Sea
- 1942 German summer offensive opens in Crimea
- 1942 1st twilight game in 24 years, the Dodgers top Giants 7-6 raising $60,000 for Navy Relief Fund
- 1943 68th Preakness: Johnny Longden aboard Count Fleet wins in 1:57.4
- 1943 Admiral Cunningham of British fleet: "Sink, burn & destroy; let nothing pass"
- 1944 33 communist resistance fighter sentenced to death
- 1945 Canadian troops move into Amsterdam
- 1945 Chinese counter attack at Tsjangte, supports by 14th air fleet
Nazi Germany Surrenders
1945 German General Wilhelm Keitel formally surrenders to the Allies represented by the United States, the UK, France and the Soviet Union in Berlin
Sports History
1947 A movement among Card players to protest its 1st meeting with Jackie Robinson & the Dodgers is aborted by a talk from owner Sam Breadon
Historic Event
1947 Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki, who had volunteered to be imprisoned in Auschwitz to gain information about the Holocaust, is arrested by Polish communist police
- 1949 West German constitution approved
Historic Event
1950 Chiang Kai-shek asks US for weapons
- 1951 Dacron men's suits introduced
- 1951 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
- 1952 "Of Thee I Sing" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 72 performances
- 1952 "Shuffle Along" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 4 performances
- 1952 5th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): "La Ronde" Best Film
- 1953 WIPB TV channel 49 in Muncie, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1954 1st shot-put over 60' (18.29 m)-Parry O'Brien, Los Angeles, CA
- 1956 John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" premieres in London
Historic Event
1957 South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
Little Rock Crisis
1958 US President Eisenhower orders National Guard out of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas
Historic Event
1958 US VP Richard Nixon is shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by protesters in Peru
Film Release
1958 Classic Hammer horror film "Dracula" film starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous vampire alongside Peter Cushing, directed by Terence Fisher released
- 1959 3-deck Nile River excursion steamer springs a leak panicking passengers who capsized ship; 200 drown just yards from shore
Historic Event
1959 Little Caesars Pizza is founded by Mike Ilitch and his wife Marian Ilitch in Garden City, Michigan
Music Premiere
1962 Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" starring Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, and directed by George Abbott, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 965 performances, and wins 6 Tony Awards
Historic Event
1962 Oskar Schindler and his wife Emilie Schindler are honored for saving 1200 Jews during WWII, in a ceremony on the Avenue of the Righteous, Jerusalem
Film Premier
1963 1st James Bond film, "Dr. No", starring Sean Connery, premieres in US
Historic Event
1963 U.S. President John F. Kennedy offers Israel assistance against aggression from its neighbors
Historic Event
1966 Only HR ever hit out of Baltimore's Memorial Park, by Oriole OF Frank Robinson
Sports History
1967 Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction in US Army
- 1967 The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental
- 1968 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
- 1968 Pulitzer prize awarded to William Styron (Confessions of Nat Turner)
- 1969 Cambodia recognizes the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
- 1970 Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, "Let It Be", in conjunction with the film of the same name
- 1970 Construction workers break up an anti-war rally in NYC's Wall Street
- 1970 NBA championship: Knicks beat Lakers, 113-99
- 1970 Thousands of students protest against the Vietnam War following the Kent State shootings in Ohio
- 1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link's musical "Earl of Ruston" closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
- 1972 Sabena aircraft at Lod International Airport, Tel Aviv, captured by Palestinians
Sports History
1973 Ernie Banks fills in for Cubs managerr Whitey Lockman who is ejected during the game, technically becoming baseball's 1st African American manager
Historic Event
1973 Indians holding South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrender
- 1974 50 MPH speed limit in Britain lifted
Historic Event
1974 Canadian government of Pierre Trudeau falls
- 1974 FC Magdenburg of East Germany win 14th European Cup Winner's Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 in Rotterdam
Musical Finale
1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances
- 1980 Sabres take only 15 shots, Islanders 22, in a playoff game
- 1980 World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated
- 1980 1st non-stop trans-North American balloon flight departs Fort Baker, California. Maxie Anderson and son Kristian pilot the Kitty Hawk for five days.
- 1981 Ron Davis pitches 10th consecutive strike out, 1 short of record
- 1984 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
Sports History
1984 Minnesota Twins Kirby Puckett debuts with 4 singles
Music Awards
1985 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, George Strait, and Reba McEntire win
- 1985 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
- 1987 Gary Hart quits US democratic presidential race due to affair with Donna Rice
- 1987 The Loughgall ambush: The SAS kill 8 IRA members and 1 civilian, in Loughgall, Northern Ireland
- 1988 "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 46 performances
Election of Interest
1988 François Mitterrand elected President of France
Sports History
1988 Mike Tyson crashes his $183,000 Bently on Varick St in New York City
- 1988 Amateur referees work NJ Devil-Boston Bruin playoff games, as NHL referees walk-off, due to a restraining order brought by Devils
Sports History
1989 Paul McCartney releases remake of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool football fans
Boxing Title Fight
1993 Lennox Lewis beats Tony Tucker in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
- 1993 16 year old Keron Thomas disguises himself as a motorman & takes NYC subway train and 2,000 passengers on a 3 hour ride
- 1994 Jim Cartwright's play "The Rise & Fall of Little Voice" closes at Neil Simon Theater, NYC after 9 performances
- 1994 500th commentary by Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes
- 1994 Colorado Silver Bullets (all-female pro baseball team) 1st game
- 1994 Ernesto Perez Balladares elected president of Panama
- 1994 Jose Maria Figueres becomes president of Costa Rica
Historic Event
1994 President Clinton announces US will no longer repatriate boat people
- 1994 Erling Kagge becomes the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge.
Sports History
1996 NY Yankee Dwight Gooden wins his 1st AL game beating Tigers 10-3
Music Awards
2001 36th Academy of Country Music Awards: Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill & Toby Keith win
- 2005 The new Canadian War Museum opens, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
Historic Event
2007 A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister
Historic Event
2008 Dmitry Medvedev appoints Vladimir Putin as Russian Prime Minister
- 2010 Last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process
- 2010 Barrow AFC wins English FA Trophy at Wembley, makes them only team to win it at both Old & New Wembley stadiums
- 2011 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Shoal Creek G&CC: Tom Lehman wins second of 3 Champions Tour majors with par on 2nd playoff hole against Australian Peter Senior
Appointment of Interest
2012 Dmitry Medvedev is confirmed as Russian Prime Minister by the State Duma, after being nominated by Vladimir Putin
- 2013 33 people are killed after an overloaded bus falls into a river in Himachal Pradesh, India
- 2013 Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi receives a four year prison sentence for fraud
- 2013 Sir Alex Ferguson announces his retirement as Manchester United's manager at the end of the season
- 2014 NFL Draft: South Carolina outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney first pick by Houston Texans
Historic Event
2014 World's oldest astrolabe (mariner's navigator tool) c. 1498 from Portuguese shipwreck of explorer Vasco da Gama found near Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman
