- 661 The 4th Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, Ali ibn Abu Talib is struck on the head while praying at the Great Mosque of Kufa, Mesopotamia by a poison-coated sword wielded by Ibn Muljam a Kharijite, dies two days later
- 672 St Vitalian ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 847 Sergius II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1142 Wrongful execution of noted Song Dynasty General Yue Fei
- 1302 Dante becomes a Florentine political exile
- 1343 Pope Clement VI issues the Bull Unigenitus
- 1534 French King Francis I signs classified treaty with Landgrave of Hesse
- 1538 Dutchy of Guelders accepts rule of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
Knight of the Golden Fleece
1556 William I of Orange becomes a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
- 1593 Vatican opens blasphemy and theological heresy trial against Italian scholar and wayward friar Giordano Bruno; proceedings drag on for over 7 years [1]
- 1649 English High Court of Justice finds King Charles I "guilty of the crimes of which he had been accused, did judge him tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy to the good people of the nation, to be put to death by the severing of his head from his body"
- 1662 1st American lime kiln begins operation in Providence, Rhode Island
Morgan lands at Panama City
1671 Welsh pirate Henry Morgan lands at the gates of Panama City
"The Age of Louis the Great"
1687 Charles Perrault's poem "The Age of Louis the Great" read out at the French Academy, part of the literary quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns
- 1695 Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his death in 1703.
First State Budget
1710 Tsar Peter the Great sets first Russian state budget
Discovery of Antarctica
1820 Russian Antarctic expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
- 1823 President Monroe appoints first US ambassadors to South America
Trail of Tears
1825 US President James Monroe urges Congress to approve creation of Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River, for the relocation of Eastern Indian tribes to 'promote their welfare and happiness" [1]
- 1853 US whaling and sealing vessel the Levant captained by Mercator Cooper, makes the first known landing on mainland Antarctica at Oates Coast, Victoria land
- 1864 Battle of Fair Gardens, Tennessee
- 1864 Civil War skirmish at Kelly's Ford, Virginia
- 1870 1st sorority (Kappa Alpha Theta) (DePauw U in Greencastle, Indiana)
- 1870 After accepting 15th amendment, Virginia is readmitted to the Union
- 1870 Manitoba & Northwest Territories incorporated
Edison Patents Electric Lamp
1880 Thomas Edison patents electric incandescent lamp
"Swan Lake" Revived
1895 Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's revival of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premieres in St. Petersburg
- 1896 Tasmania bowl out Victoria for 65 for their 1st ever innings victory
- 1897 British troops occupy Bida Gold Coast (Ghana)
- 1900 Foreign diplomats in Peking, China, write formal notes of protest demanding that the Chinese Government stop the Boxes and other groups leading attacks on Westerners and Christians.
- 1900 Social Democrat Party of America (Debs' party) holds 1st convention
- 1902 5 workers killed on explosion during IRT subway construction (NYC)
- 1905 Maurice Rouvier forms government in France
- 1906 Rudolf Gundersen skates world record 500m at 44.8 sec
- 1908 Pasiphaë, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Melotte
- 1909 The Young Left is founded in Norway
- 1914 A petition is written and submitted by the black and coloured women of the Orange Free State, an independent Boer sovereign republic in southern Africa, against the carrying of passes by women
- 1915 US Marines occupy Haiti
- 1916 Communist party "Spartacus Letters" 1st published in Berlin
- 1917 Coen de Koning wins 2nd official 11 cities race (9:53) (record)
- 1918 The first hostilities occurred in the Finnish Civil War.
Thunberg's 3 Golds in 1 Day
1924 Clas Thunberg of Finland claims 3 gold medals in one day when he wins the 1,500m, 5,000m and all-round speed skating events at the Chamonix Winter Olympics; won 5,000m the day before
- 1924 Egyptian king Foead nominates Saad Zaghloel Pasja premier
- 1924 The Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes sign the Treaty of Rome, agreeing to the annexation of independent Free State of Fiume by Italy (now Rijeka, Croatia)
- 1924 The Natal Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Association jointly organise a mass meeting in Durban, South Africa in opposition to the Class Areas Bill
Lenin Laid to Rest
1924 Vladimir Lenin is placed in a Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow
The Schrödinger Equation
1926 Physicist Erwin Schrödinger publishes his theory of wave mechanics and presents what becomes known as the Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics
- 1926 US Senate agrees to join World Court
- 1933 Otto Meisnner (Head of the German President's Office) dines with British ambassador Sir Horace Rumbold
- 1934 French government of Chautemps falls (Stavisky Affair)
- 1934 VARA refuses to hire after commemoration of Marinus Van de Lubbe
- 1939 First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- 1940 -17°F (-27°C), CCC Camp F-16, Georgia (state record)
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941 Peruvian ambassador Ricardo Rivera-Schreiber warns American Ambassador of Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor
Braves Lose Manager, Gain Owners
1944 Casey Stengel, manager of the Boston Braves since 1938, resigns Lou Perini, Guido Rugo, & Joseph Maney buy control of Boston Braves
Siege of Leningrad
1944 Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed
- 1945 Nazi occupiers forbid food transport to West (The Netherlands)
- 1945 S Romberg, H&D Fields' musical premieres in NYC
- 1945 Wally van Hall, Dutch banker and resistance leader, arrested
- 1948 1st locomotive to carry 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) operates
- 1948 1st tape recorder sold
- 1949 Chinese liner "Taiping" collides with a collier off south China
- 1950 2nd Emmy Awards: Ed Wynn Show & Texaco Star Theater win
- 1951 US begins 126 nuclear tests at Nevada Test Site
- 1953 Netherlands end Marshall aid
Moore vs. Maxim
1954 American boxer Archie Moore beats Joey Maxim in 15-round unanimous decision to retain his world light heavyweight title at the Orange Bowl, Miami; last of famous trilogy of fights, all won by Moore
"Heartbreak Hotel"
1956 RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million-seller (written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden)
"Il trovatore"
1961 Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli make debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in "Il trovatore"; final curtain call lasts 35 minutes
- 1963 Sam Rice, Eppa Rixey, Elmer Flick, & John Clarkson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1963 Yevgeni Grishin skates world record 500m in 39.6 sec
- 1964 Barlow & Graeme Pollock complete 341 stand at Adelaide Oval
- 1964 Margaret Chase Smith (Sen-R-Maine) tries for Republican President bid
- 1965 1st ground station-to-aircraft radio communication via satellite
- 1965 Groundbreaking for "Dragon Gateway" at Grant Avenue
- 1966 Wisconsin State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W Roller rules either the Braves stay in Milwaukee or NL must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for 1966
Apollo 1 Fire
1967 A fire in the Apollo 1 Command Module kills astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee during a launch rehearsal
- 1967 New Orleans Saints sign their 1st player (Paige Cothren-kicker)
- 1967 The Beatles sign a 9 year worldwide contract with EMI records
- 1967 Treaty signed banning military use of nuclear weapons in space
- 1968 French submarine Minerve disappears in the Mediterranean with the loss of 52 crew
- 1969 14 spies hanged in Baghdad
- 1969 9 Jews publicly executed in Damascus, Syria
- 1969 Actress Thelma Ritter suffers a heart attack (she dies Feb 5th)
Noll Youngest Coach
1969 Chuck Noll is named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the youngest coach in NFL history at the time)
Paisley Sentenced
1969 Reverend Ian Paisley sentenced to 3 to three months in jail at Armagh for participating in unlawful assembly during civil rights march (Nov. 30)
- 1970 Movie rating system modifies "M" rating to "PG"
- 1970 NFL Draft: Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw #1 pick by Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1971 Montgomery St Station, last link in Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco, 'holed thru'
- 1971 The body of a man who had been shot dead is found in Belfast
- 1972 The British Army and the Irish Republican Army engage in gun battles near County Armagh; British troops fire over 1,000 rounds of ammunition
- 1972 Two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers shot dead by IRA in an attack on their patrol car in the Creggan Road, Derry
"Treemonisha"
1972 World premiere of Scott Joplin's rediscovered opera "Treemonisha" at Morehouse College in Atlanta
- 1973 Paris Peace Accords signed by US Secretary of State William P. Rogers, (North) Vietnam Minister for Foreign Affairs Nguyen Duy Trinh, Republic of South Vietnam Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Thị Bình, and Republic of Vietnam Minister for Foreign Affairs Trần Văn Lắm, ending America's then longest war and it's military draft.
- 1973 UCLA's basketball team wins 61st consecutive game (NCAA record)
"Laverne & Shirley"
1976 "Laverne & Shirley" TV spinoff from "Happy Days" starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams premieres on ABC TV
- 1976 Morocco-Algeria battles in West Sahara
Richards' 1st Test Century
1976 Viv Richards scores his 1st Test century against Australia
- 1979 Islanders ends 23 undefeated games at home streak (15-0-8)
Mugabe Returns From Exile
1980 Robert Mugabe returns to Rhodesia after 5 years in exile
- 1982 Los Angeles Kings set an NHL record with their 6th consecutive tied game, a 4-4 deadlock against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers
- 1982 Mauno Koivisto installed as President of Finland
Phillies Trade Two for DeJesus
1982 Philadelphia Phillies trade shortstop Larry Bowa & infielder Ryne Sandberg to Chicago Cubs for 2nd baseman Ivan DeJesus
- 1982 Roberto S. Cordova installed as President of Honduras
- 1983 Pilot tunnel breaks through under the Tsugaru Strait, for Seikan Tunnel project to connect Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan, by rail
"Milk & Honey"
1984 Geffen Records releases "Milk & Honey" album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, featuring un-released recordings made during the 1980 "Double Fantasy" sessions, including "Grow Old With Me"
Jackson Burned
1984 Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial
Kennedy Nominated
1988 Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves nomination of Judge Anthony Kennedy to US Supreme Court
Yzerman Records 100 Points
1989 Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman becomes the 4th NHL player to record 100 points in 50 games or less with a goal and 2 assists as Red Wings beat Toronto, 8-1
- 1989 German war criminals Fischer & Aus der Funten freed
- 1989 Kevin Johnson (Phoenix) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games
- 1989 Oklahoma linebacker Mark VanKeirsblilck assaults an Oklahoma grad student
- 1991 Dutch Pacifist Socialistic Party disbands
- 1991 Nadine Strossen is 1st female president of the ACLU
- 1991 Super Bowl XXV, Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FL: New York Giants beat Buffalo Bills, 20-19; MVP: Ottis Anderson, NY Giants, RB
Jane Fonda Surgery
1992 Jane Fonda undergoes arthroscopic surgery on her right knee
Mike Tyson Trial
1992 Mike Tyson goes on trial for rape (he is found guilty)
Clinton, Flowers Accusations
1992 Presidential candidate Bill Clinton (D) & Genifer Flowers accuse each other of lying over her assertion they had a 12-year affair
- 1993 DC-3 crashes in Kinshasa, killing 12
- 1994 Carlos Reina succeeds pres Callejas in Honduras
- 1994 Romanian social democrats form government with anti-Semites
- 1995 Eric Cantona of Manchester United fined and banned from playing football after attacking a fan
- 1996 15 day old conjoined twins separated: Sarah Morales survives, Sarahi dies
- 1996 Catherine Roskam becomes the 1st NY female Episcopal bishop
- 1996 Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected President of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane, in a military coup
- 1996 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
- 1996 Germany celebrates its 1st Holocaust Remembrance Day
- 1996 Shiv Chanderpaul scores 303* for Guyana v Jamaica at Kingston
- 1997 "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" opens at Gershwin NYC
- 1998 Crane crashes into Roosevelt Island tram (NYC), injuring 10
- 1998 Roland Clarkson discovers 2^3021377-1 (37th known Mersenne prime)
- 1998 WNBA begins filling rosters of Washington Mystics & Detroit Shock
"Working On A Dream"
2009 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 16th studio album "Working On A Dream", made with the E Street Band
- 2013 7 people are killed and 3 are injured when a retaining wall collapses during a football match at the Ugur Sports Facility, Turkey
- 2013 A bus crash into a ravine in Serta, Portugal, kills 11 people and injures an additional 32
- 2013 A series of bomb attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan, kills 20 police officers
- 2013 In Port Said, Egypt, protests result in 7 people being killed and 630 are injured
Carlsen Wins Tata Steel Tournament
2013 Magnus Carlsen wins the 2013 Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
- 2013 Spain defeats Denmark to win the 2013 World Men's Handball Championship
- 2013 The Kiss nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, ignited by pyrotechnics used by a performing rock band kills 245 people and injures at least 600 others; most of the deaths were from toxic smoke inhalation, the club was over capacity and had no fire exits
- 2016 On This Day receives its second substantial face-lift, courtesy of a fresh new website design and brand by design studio Fhoke. Dedicated history and film and television channels are launched alongside the new design.
Trump's Muslim Travel Ban
2017 Donald Trump issues executive order banning travel to the US for 7 mostly Muslim countries and suspending admission for refugees
- 2018 Bomb in an ambulance kills over 100 people in Kabul, Taliban claim responsibility
- 2018 Rashid Khan is bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL
- 2019 Landslide kills 15 at a wedding party in a hotel in Abancay, Peru
- 2019 Tornado strikes Havana, Cuba, killing three and injuring 172
- 2019 Two bombs at a Roman Catholic cathedral on Jolo Island, southern, Philippines kills 20, Islamic State claims responsibility
- 2020 Former king of Belgium, Albert II admits fathering a child after DNA tests confirm paternity
- 2023 International Holocaust Remembrance Day: representatives from various countries gather at site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp; among attendees is Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a US president or vice president [1]
- 2023 New Zealand city of Auckland declares a state of emergency as a tropical storm brings record levels of rain, major flooding and four deaths [1]
- 2023 Urgent search announced for tiny radioactive capsule 6mmx8mm, which dropped out of a truck somewhere along 1,400 km journey in Western Australia [1]
- 2024 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Aryna Sabalenka defeats China's Zheng Qinwen 6–3, 6–2 to retain the title; wins her second major title without dropping a set
- 2024 World's largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas, able to house 7,600 passengers, at 365 meters (1,198 ft) 5x larger than the Titanic, sets sail from Miami on its maiden voyage [1]
