Cornerstone of St Peter's Laid
1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II
- 1518 Bona Sforza is crowned queen consort of Poland
Diet of Worms
1521 Diet of Worms: Cardinal Alexander questions Martin Luther
- 1552 Mauritius of Saksen occupies Linz
- 1663 Osman declares war on Austria
- 1666 Peace of Kleef: Netherlands & bishop Von Galen of Munster
- 1676 Sudbury, Massachusetts, attacked by Indians
- 1688 "Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery": Francis Daniel Pastorius presents 1st formal written protest against African-American slavery in English colonies in Germantown, Pennsylvania
- 1738 Real Academia de la Historia ("Royal Academy of History") founded in Madrid
Event of Interest
1775 Paul Revere warns Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops are marching from Boston to Lexington
- 1775 Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning "the regulars are coming!"
Cessation of Hostilities
1783 American Revolution: George Washington issues General Orders announcing the end of hostilities with Britain, giving thanks to the Almighty, and offering congratulations and authorizing an extra ration of alcohol to the troops to celebrate [1]
PM Lord Melbourne
1835 William Lamb (Lord Melbourne) becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after Robert Peel resigns out of frustration
Lee Rejects Union Command
1861 Colonel Robert E. Lee turns down offer to command Union armies (US Civil War)
Johnston Surrenders to Sherman
1865 Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to General William T. Sherman in North Carolina
Livingstone Buried
1874 David Livingstone, African explorer, buried in Westminster Abbey
- 1876 Daniel O'Leary completes a 500 mile walk in 139 hrs 32 min
- 1879 Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on indians citizen rights begins
- 1880 An F4 tornado strikes Marshfield, Missouri, killing 99 people and injuring 100.
- 1881 Natural History Museum opens in South Kensington, England
- 1890 NY Commission of Emigration ends, closing Castle Garden, NYC (now known as Castle Clinton) [1]
- 1899 John McGraw, at 26, has his managerial debut as Oriole manager
St. Andrew's Ambulance Association
1899 St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria
- 1904 L'Humanité, under Jean Jaurès begins publishing
San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire kills nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city
- 1906 The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide religious movement
- 1907 Augustus Thomas' "Witching Hour" premieres in NYC
- 1907 Fairmont Hotel opens in San Francisco
Tommy Burns KOs Jewey Smith
1908 Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Jewey Smith of England in 5th round at Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris to retain his world heavyweight boxing title
Beatification of Joan of Arc
1909 Joan of Arc receives beatification by the Roman Catholic Church at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
- 1912 Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City
- 1912 Tripolitan War: in continuing hostilities, Turkey closes the Dardanelles Straits after an Italian naval bombardment of the coastline
- 1915 French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.
Edith Wharton Legion of Honor
1916 Edith Wharton is appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest award, for her contribution to the war effort
- 1916 US Secretary of State Warns Germany that the USA may break diplomatic relations unless torpedo attacks on unarmed ships stop
Speaker's Double Play
1918 Cleveland center fielder Tris Speaker turns an unassisted double play
- 1918 The People's Council of Latvia proclaims the independence of the new country of Latvia
- 1921 Junior Achievement incorporated in Colorado Spring
- 1921 Philip James Barry's "Punch for Judy" premieres in NYC
- 1922 Netherlands soccer team defeats Denmark 2-0
- 1923 74,000 (62,281 paid) on hand for opening of Yankee Stadium
- 1923 Poland annexes Central Lithuania
- 1924 1st crossword puzzle book published by Simon & Schuster
- 1925 World's Fair opens in Chicago
- 1926 Rhein Stadium opens in Dusseldorf, Germany
Chiang Kai-Shek Forms Anti-Government
1927 Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek forms an anti-government in China
- 1929 Palace for People's industry in Amsterdam devastated by fire
- 1930 Attempted raid on the armoury of police and auxiliary forces in Chittagong in Bengal province, British India by armed pro-independence revolutionaries led by Surya Sen popularly known as Master-da
- 1930 BBC news announcer announces "there is no news" at 20:45 news bulletin, plays music instead
Hitler Appoints Ribbentrop
1934 Adolf Hitler names Joachim von Ribbentrop ambassador for disarmament
- 1934 C.A. Tannahill opens 1st US "Washateria" (laundromat) in Fort Worth, Texas; four electric washing machines available for hourly rental - no dryers were available
- 1935 Gen Sarazen's double eagle on 15th, wins him his 2nd Masters
- 1935 Netherlands election (Musserts NSB wins 8% of vote)
- 1936 Pan-Am Clipper begins regular passenger flights from San Francisco to Honolulu
- 1938 Headless Mad Butcher victim found in Cleveland
Papen Turkish Ambassador
1939 Franz von Papen becomes German ambassador in Turkey
- 1939 Hubert Pierlot forms Belgian government
- 1942 "Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts
- 1942 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4-3 series win; Toronto recovers after losing first 3 games
Doolittle Raid
1942 The Doolittle Raid: James Doolittle leads the first air raid on mainland Japan, bombing Tokyo & other Japanese cities
Operation Vengeance Kills Yamamoto
1943 Operation Vengeance: US Army Air Force P-38G fighter aircraft from Kukum Field on Guadalcanal ambush and shoot down the transport bomber aircraft of Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy and mastermind behind the Pearl Harbor attack [1]
Fancy Free
1944 Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins' ballet "Fancy Free" premieres at the Metropolitan Opera House, NYC
- 1945 1 armed outfielder, St Louis Brown Pete Gray, 1st game he goes 1 for 4
- 1945 Clandestine Radio 1212, after broadcasting pro-nazi propaganda for months used their influence to trap 350,000 German army group B troops
- 1945 Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Bolivia established
- 1945 Epe freed (by corporal G van Aken)
- 1946 International Court of Justice opens at The Hague Netherlands
Robinson 2nd Baseman
1946 Jackie Robinson debuts as 2nd baseman for the Montreal Royals
- 1946 League of Nations dissolves (3 months after UN starts)
New Orleans
1947 "New Orleans", an American musical romance film premieres; Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, in her only feature film, play supporting roles
- 1949 Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth
- 1950 1st opening night-game, Cards beat Pirates, 4-2
- 1950 Polish Catholic church & government sign accord over relations
- 1950 Sam Jethroe is 1st African American to play for Boston Braves
- 1950 Yankees win 15-10 after trailing Red Sox 9-0 in 6th
- 1951 Dutch Antilles government of Da Costa Gomez forms
- 1951 France, West Germany & Benelux form European Steel & Coal Community
Nasser Seizes Power
1954 Egyptian Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power and appoints himself Prime Minister
Ezra Pound Released
1958 A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum.
- 1958 Government troops reconquer Padang, Middle-Sumatra, Indonesia
- 1958 NL single-game record crowd of 78,682 as the Los Angeles Dodgers win their first ever home game over San Francisco Giants, 6-5, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- 1959 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens' 4th straight title; beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3 for a 4-1 series win
- 1961 CONCP is founded in Casablanca as a united front of African movements opposing Portuguese colonial rule
- 1963 Dr James Campbell performed the 1st human nerve transplant
- 1963 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs go back-to-back with a 3-1 Game 5 win over Detroit Red Wings for a 4-1 series victory
- 1964 Artisans strike in Belgium ends
Baseball Record
1964 LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax strikes out the side on 9 pitches, for major league best third time in his career
NBA Record
1966 Bill Russell becomes first African American coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics)
- 1967 Jonathan Frid makes his 1st appearance as 200-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins on TV's "Dark Shadows", show becomes a huge hit
- 1968 178,000 employees of US Bell Telephone System go on strike
- 1968 Dutch Department of Amnesty International forms
- 1968 London Bridge is sold to US oil company (to be erected in Arizona)
- 1968 Mart Crowley's "Boys in the Band" premieres in NYC
- 1968 Peter Luke's "Hadrian VII" premieres in London
- 1968 San Francisco's Old Hall of Justice demolished
- 1968 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1969 Greek actress and activist Melina Mercouri establishes Greek Aid Fund
- 1972 The Widgery Report on 'Bloody Sunday' in Northern Ireland is published, causing outrage among the people of Derry who call it the "Widgery Whitewash"
Event of Interest
1973 US Government ends Mandatory Oil Import Program, established in 1959 by President Eisenhower
- 1974 Red Brigade kidnaps Italian attorney general Mario Sossi
Music Concert
1975 John Lennon gives what becomes his final public performance at a gala salute to British media mogul Lew Grade at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, NYC; he performed 3 songs - Little Richard’s “Slippin’ and Slidin’”, Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, and closed with his own “Imagine”
- 1976 30th Tony Awards: "Travesties" (play) & "A Chorus Line" (musical) win
Event of Interest
1977 Alex Haley author of "Roots" awarded Pulitzer Prize
- 1977 Pulitzer prize awarded to Michael Cristofer for "Shadow Box"
- 1978 Senate votes to turn Panama Canal over to Panama on Dec 31, 1999
- 1979 "Real People" premieres on NBC TV
- 1979 Major Haddad declares South-Lebanon independent
- 1980 Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) declares independence from the United Kingdom
- 1981 Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June)
- 1982 Atlanta Braves win record 11th straight opening game (beat Astros)
- 1982 Canada Constitution Act replaces British North America Act
- 1982 Zimbabwean capital Salisbury renamed Harare
- 1983 A lone suicide bomber kills 63, at US Embassy in Lebanon
- 1983 KMO-AM in Tacoma Wash changes call letters to KAMT (now KKMO)
Event of Interest
1983 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Alice Walker for the novel "The Color Purple"
- 1984 Joan Benoit runs world record female marathon (2:22:43)
- 1984 Space Shuttle Challenger flies back to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly Air Force Base
- 1985 "Wham!" become the first western pop act to release an album in China
- 1986 IBM produces 1st megabit-chip
- 1986 Robert M Gates becomes deputy director of CIA
- 1986 Titan rocket explodes seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg AFB
- 1987 Bettino Craxi resigns as Prime Minister of Italy
- 1987 Bob Land wins his 6th straight Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race
- 1987 Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save unconscious skydiver near Coolidge, Arizona
Baseball Record
1987 Mike Schmidt hits 500th home run (vs Robinson-Pirates)
- 1987 Pat Knauff, France sets 1-leg downhill ski speed record (115.012 mph)
Warm All Over
1988 Barbra Streisand records "Warm All Over"
NBA Record
1991 John Stockton breaks his own NBA season assist record at 1,136
- 1991 US Census Bureau said it failed to count up to 63 million in 1990 census
- 1992 Start of South Africa's 1st Test Cricket since 1970 (v WI Bridgetown)
Film & TV History
1994 Arsenio Hall announces he will end his late-night TV talk show in May 1994
Cricket Record
1994 Cricketer Brian Lara hits 375 runs on 1 day for WI vs England to beat Garfield Sobers' world record
Event of Interest
1994 Former US President Richard Nixon suffers a stroke and passes away 4 days later
- 1994 Lebanon drops relations with Iran
- 1994 STS-59 (Endeavour) lands [approx]
- 1995 Houston Post folds after 116 years
Sports History
1995 Quarterback Joe Montana announces his retirement from football
- 1996 In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces accidentally shell the UN compound at Quana.
Sports History
1998 NFL Draft: Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning first pick by Indianapolis Colts
Sports History
1999 Wayne Gretzky plays his last game in the NHL, as his New York Rangers lose 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins
- 2004 Jason Koumas scores a last minute goal in a 1-0 win against Sunderland
- 2007 The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision
- 2008 NBA owners give approval of a potential Seattle SuperSonics' relocation to Oklahoma City in a 28–2 vote by the Board of Governors
- 2012 The Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples begins burning artworks after cultural institution budget cuts
Iron Man 3
2013 "Iron Man 3", directed by Shane Black, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, premieres in London
- 2013 27 people are killed and 65 are injured in a cafe bombing in Baghdad, Iraq
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
2013 28th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Heart; Albert King; Randy Newman; Public Enemy; Rush; Donna Summer; Quincy Jones; and Lou Adler
- 2013 Two earth-like planets are discovered orbiting the star Kepler-62
- 2014 12 Nepalese climbers are killed by an avalanche on Mt Everest
Sports History
2014 Marco van Basten is announced to replace Dick Advocaat as the manager of AZ Alkmaar at the start of the 2014-15 season
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
2015 30th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Green Day; Joan Jett and the Blackhearts; Lou Reed; Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; Bill Withers; The "5" Royals; and Ringo Starr
Sports History
2016 Kawhi Leonard wins the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year
Laureus Awards
2016 Laureus World Sports Awards, Palais am Funkturm, Berlin, Germany: Sportsman: Novak Đoković; Sportswoman: Sernea Williams; Team: New Zealand Men's National Rugby Union team
- 2017 British Prime Minister Teresa May announces she will seek a "snap" election
Sports History
2017 Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first player to score 100 goals in the Champions League with a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Bayern Munich
- 2018 Protests begin in Managua, Nicaragua, over proposed changes to social security, protesters beaten by suspected pro-government gangs
- 2018 “Black Panther” is the first film shown at a commercial cinema in 35 years in Saudi Arabia as cinemas are reopened
- 2019 Irish Journalist Lyra McKee shot to death covering riots in Derry, Northern Ireland with dissident republican group the New IRA claiming responsibility
Music Concert
2020 "Together At Home" virtual benefit concert for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund curated by Lady Gaga; 6-hour pre-show streams on-line, followed by 2-hour global telecast; performers include: Andra Day, Common, The Killers, Charlie Puth, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Annie Lennox, and Zucchero
- 2020 Canada's worst modern mass shooting as a gunman kills 18 people, including a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, across Nova Scotia
- 2020 French flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle reports over 1,000 cases of COVID-19, prompting an investigation
- 2021 12-team European Super League is announced to widespread condemnation amongst governments, non-involved clubs, press and fans; amidst the furore all 6 EPL clubs withdraw within 3 days
- 2022 Russia begins a major new offensive in Donbas, during their invasion of Ukraine [1]
Event of Interest
2022 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declares a national state of disaster, after floods and mudslides in Durban area result in over 400 deaths and destroy over 4,000 homes [1]
- 2023 Fox News settles lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, moments before trial, with Fox admitting it had defamed Dominion during US 2020 election by broadcasting conspiracy theories [1]
- 2024 Fossil evidence of the largest known snake 11-15 meters long named Vasuki indicus, 66 million years old, published from a mine in Panandhro, western India [1]
- 2024 New report finds nearly half of China's cities are sinking due to development and extracting too much water [1]
- 2024 Police are sent in to remove students on campus at Columbia University protesting Israeli actions in Gaza - ignites protests across US campuses [1]
- 2024 United States vetoes a United Nations Security Council resolution recognising Palestine as a state with the UK and Switzerland abstaining [1]
