Verrazzano Sets Out
1524 Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano's sets sail aboard French ship La Dauphine to find a passage to China - finds North America instead
- 1536 Francois Rabelais absolved of apostasy by Pope Paul III
Edict of St Germain
1562 French regent Catherine de' Medici issues the Edict of St Germain recognizing Huguenots in France
Gregory Conquers Julius Caesar
1584 Bohemia adopts Gregorian calendar
France Declares War on Spain
1595 King Henry IV of France declares war on Spain - lasts till 1598
- 1601 France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
- 1656 Brandenburg & Sweden sign Treaty of Königsberg
- 1718 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
- 1746 Battle of Falkirk Muir, the Jacobites under Charles Stuart defeat Hanoverian forces
- 1757 German Diet declares war on Prussia
Cook Crosses Antarctic Circle
1773 Captain James Cook becomes the first to cross Antarctic Circle (66° 33' S)
- 1775 9 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests in Kalisk, Poland
- 1775 Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play "The Rivals" premieres in London
- 1779 Captain James Cook's last notation in Discovery's ship's log
- 1781 Battle of Cowpens: American revolutionary forces led by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat the British under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton in a decisive double envelopment near the town of Cowpens, a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina
- 1799 Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed
Mexico Grants Austin Settlement
1821 Mexico permits Moses Austin and 300 US families to settle in Texas. After his death his son Stephen leads a colony to Texas.
- 1827 Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
- 1832 Johannes van den Bosch appointed governor general of Dutch East Indies
- 1852 British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
- 1862 -Jan 22nd) BBT Ft Henry, Tennessee by USS Lexington
- 1863 Civil War skirmish near Newtown, Virginia
- 1864 General James Longstreet's command ends heavy fighting at Dandridgem, Tennessee
- 1871 1st cable car patented, by Andrew Smith Hallidie in the US (begins service in 1873)
- 1873 Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War
- 1874 Armed Democrats seize Texas government ending Radical Reconstruction
- 1882 1st Dutch female physician Aletta Jacobs opens her office
- 1885 Battle of Abu Klea (Battle of Abu Tulayh), Sudan: British Desert Column defeat Mahdist forces: 76 British and 1,100 Mahdists killed
- 1893 -17°F (-27°C), Millsboro, Delaware (state record)
- 1893 Franco-Russian Alliance is signed
- 1893 Queen Liliuokalani is deposed by an American coup, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic
- 1895 French president Casimir-Perier resigns; Félix Faure installed.
- 1899 US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
"Cherry Orchard"
1904 Anton Chekhov's play "Cherry Orchard" opens at Moscow Art Theater
- 1905 Punchboards patented by Charles Brewer & C G Scannell, Chicago
Attempt on French PM
1911 Failed assassination attempt on French Prime Minister Aristide Briand in the French Assembly
- 1911 Percy Mackaye's "Scarecrow" premieres in NYC
Scott Reaches the Pole
1912 Captain Robert Scott's expedition arrives at the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen
Raymond Poincaré President
1913 Raymond Poincaré elected president of France
"Der Bogen des Odysseus"
1914 Gerhart Hauptmann's play "Der Bogen des Odysseus" premieres in Berlin
- 1915 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's Hospital in Amsterdam opens
Battle of Sarikamish
1915 Battle of Sarikamish ends with a Russian victory over Ottoman forces led by Enver Pasha with loss of over 30,000 men of the Turkish Third Army during Caucasus Campaign
- 1915 Russia occupies Bukovina & Western Ukraine
- 1916 Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martinique Hotel, New York City
- 1917 US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands (or 3/21)
- 1920 First day of prohibition of alcohol comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution
- 1920 Paul Deschanel elected President of France
- 1923 Belgian Working people Party protest against occupied Ruhrgebied
- 1923 Origin of Brown lunation numbers
- 1928 1st fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented
- 1929 Popeye makes 1st appearance, in comic strip "Thimble Theater"
Bradman Takes a Wicket
1933 Australian cricket batting champion Don Bradman takes only his 2nd Test wicket; bowls England's Walter Hammond for 85 during 338-run 3rd Test defeat in Adelaide
- 1934 Electric Home & Farm Authority incorporated
Carl Hubbell's $18,000 Contract
1934 NY Giants reward NL MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell with a huge $18,000 contract
Berg Wins Inaugural Event
1937 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins inaugural event by 3 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby
Kennedy US Ambassador
1938 Joseph P. Kennedy becomes the 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- 1938 Supreme Soviet elects Michail Kalinin as presidium chairman
- 1939 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
New Fourth Army Disbanded
1941 Chiang Kai-Shek disbands the Communist New Fourth Army after the New Fourth Army incident at Maolin, Anhui Province between the nationalist and communist armies leaves many dead
- 1945 Soviet army enters the devastated city of Warsaw and clears German resistance
- 1945 Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, arrested by Soviet secret police in Hungary
- 1946 United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England
- 1947 Ammunition factory explodes in Muiden, Netherlands, 16 die
- 1948 Netherlands & Indonesia agree to a cease-fire
- 1948 Trial of 11 US Communist party members begins in NYC
- 1949 Radio series "The Goldbergs" by Gertrude Berg premieres on US TV on CBS
- 1950 The Great Brinks Robbery - 11 men rob $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities from armored car company Brink's offices in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1951 China refuses ceases-fire in Korea
- 1952 1952 NFL Draft: Bill Wade QB University of Vanderbilt #1 pick by Los Angeles Rams
"Omnibus"
1954 Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
Eisenhower's Farewell Address
1961 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex".
Armstrong Pilots X-15
1962 NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes hypersonic research plane X-15 to 40,690m
- 1962 Roy Harris' 8th Symphony, premieres in San Francisco
- 1963 Joe Walker takes X-15 to altitude of 82 km
- 1966 B-52/KC-135 tankers crash near Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
King Opens Chicago Campaign
1966 Martin Luther King Jr. opens the Chicago Campaign, a nonviolent campaign aimed at achieving fair housing practices
Mays Player of the Decade
1970 Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s
- 1971 At a party conference in Dublin, Sinn Féin end their 65 year abstentionist policy and agree that any elected representative could take their seat at the Dáil
- 1971 Super Bowl V, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Baltimore Colts beat Dallas Cowboys, 16-13; MVP: Chuck Howley, Dallas, LB
- 1972 "My Hang-Up Is You" single released by Freddie Hart (Billboard Song of the Year 1972)
- 1972 Section of Memphis' Highway 51 South renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard
- 1972 Seven men who were held as internees escape from the prison ship HMS Maidstone in Belfast Lough, North Ireland
- 1973 City of Amsterdam decides to support Hanoi
- 1973 New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life
"Court and Spark"
1974 Asylum Records releases "Court and Spark", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 6th studio album; features the songs "Help Me" and "Free Man In Paris", it becomes her biggest seller
"I Write the Songs"
1976 "I Write the Songs" cover by Barry Manilow hits #1
"X Offender"
1976 Blondie release their debut single "X Offender" written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine
- 1976 Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency
- 1977 Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in the Utah state prison, convicted of murder
- 1977 KC releases Tommy Davis, ends an 18-year career with 10 teams
- 1977 Zaire president Mobutu visits Belgium
Sex Pistols Break Up
1978 After a tumultuous final tour the Sex Pistols break up as a band, which is announced the following day
Sessions' 9th Symphony
1980 Roger Sessions' 9th Symphony, his last, premieres in Syracuse, New York with Christopher Keene conducting the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Marcos Ends Martial Law
1981 President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos ends martial law, that began in September 1972
- 1982 "Cold Sunday" in the United States would see temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years in numerous cities
Lendl's 1st ATP
1982 Czech tennis star Ivan Lendl scores a 6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–4 win over American Vitas Gerulaitis to claim his first of 5 ATP Masters Grand Prix titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Wallace's Record Fourth Term
1983 Alabama Governor George Wallace, becomes governor for a record 4th time
- 1983 Nigeria expels 2 million illegal aliens, mostly Ghanaians
- 1984 Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
- 1985 Azharuddin scores second Test century in second Test (v England)
- 1986 Tim Witherspoon beats defending champion Tony Tubbs by majority decision in 15 rounds at The Omni, Atlanta for WBA heavyweight boxing title
General Secretary Resigns
1987 General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Yaobang is forced to resign, amid demonstrations for greater democracy
Reagan's Covert Arms Sale
1987 US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
- 1988 Leslie Manigay elected President of Haiti
- 1989 Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded
- 1989 Murden & Metz are 1st women to reach South Pole overland (on skis)
- 1989 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
5th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1990 5th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Hank Ballard; Bobby Darin; The Four Seasons; The Four Tops; The Kinks; The Platters; Simon and Garfunkel; The Who; Louis Armstrong; Charlie Christian; Ma Rainey; Gerry Goffin and Carole King; and Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland
- 1990 MLB pitcher Dave Stewart signs record $3,500,000 per year Oakland A's contract
- 1991 Andy Van Hellemond sets NHL record for most games worked by a referee when he appears in his 1,173rd regular season encounter as the St. Louis Blues host the Montreal Canadiens
- 1991 Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V
- 1991 Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles on Israel
- 1991 Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War
- 1992 Sarah Ferguson attends dinner of Everglades club (club excludes Jews)
- 1993 Russian Irina Privalova cycles world record 300m indoor (35.45")
- 1994 6.6 Earthquake hits Los Angeles killing 60, $30B in damage
Taylor Released From Hospital
1994 Actress Elizabeth Taylor released from the hospital after hip treatment
Ewing's 15,000 Points
1994 Patrick Ewing becomes first New York player to reach the 15,000-point mark in his NBA career; scores a game-high 34 points in the Knicks' 106-94 win over visiting Minnesota
- 1995 7.2 earthquake destroys Kobe, Japan and kills 5,372
Bush Governor of Texas
1995 George W. Bush sworn in as Governor of Texas
- 1995 LA Rams announce that they are moving to St Louis
11th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1996 11th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: David Bowie; Jefferson Airplane; Little Willie John; Gladys Knight and the Pips; Pink Floyd; The Shirelles; The Velvet Underground; Pete Seeger; and Tom Donahue
Yzerman Scores 500
1996 Detroit center Steve Yzerman scores his 500th career NHL goal as the Red Wings beat Colorado, 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena and joins Gordie Howe as the only players to score 500 goals for Detroit
- 1996 Iraq agrees to talks concerning a UN plan to allow for the Iraqi sale of $1 billion of oil; proceeds from the sale would be used for humanitarian purposes
- 1996 The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.
Rodman Suspended
1997 NBA suspends Dennis Rodman indefinitely for kicking cameraman
Clinton Sexual Harassment Charge
1998 US President Bill Clinton faces sexual harassment charges from Paula Jones
- 2001 OPEC agrees at a meeting of ministers in Vienna, to reduce members' oil production quotas by 1.5 million barrels per day
Clinton Honors Lewis and Clark Expedition
2001 President Clinton honors Lewis and Clark Expedition, posthumously raises William Clark's rank from Lieutenant to Captain, makes Honorary Sergeant Shoshone female guide Sacagawea, and York, enslaved by William Clark, who assisted expedition
- 2002 Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
- 2007 Doomsday Clock set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's 1st nuclear test
- 2010 A dragon boat from Chung Ling High School capsizes and collides with a tugboat amid strong currents in Penang, Malaysia, killing 6 people and injuring 12
- 2011 "Sure Thing" single released by Miguel (Billboard Song of the Year 2011)
Youngest Player to Score 20,000 Points
2012 LeBron James becomes youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points during the Miami Heat's 92-75 victory over Golden State; James, 28 years, 17 days, passes Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days
- 2013 106 people are massacred by Syrian army forces in Homs
- 2013 33 people are killed by a series of bombs across Iraq
- 2013 4 people are killed and over 2,000 are evacuated after a massive flood hits Jakarta, Indonesia
- 2013 8 people are killed in a plane crash in Chiapas, Mexico
- 2013 Japan unveils plans to build the world’s largest wind farm near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
- 2014 21 people are killed in a suicide bombing in a restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan
- 2015 American boxer Deontay Wilder wins the WBC heavyweight championship by unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas; Wilder first American to hold a heavyweight title since Shannon Briggs in 2007
Clinton and Sanders Clash
2016 Fourth Democratic presidential candidates debate: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash over healthcare and gun control in Charleston, South Carolina
- 2017 Nigerian military mistakenly bomb refugee camp killing more than 70 in Rann, Borno state
Flight MH370 Disappears
2017 Search for missing aircraft MH370 over the Indian Ocean is called off
WikiLeaks Discloser Sentence Reduced
2017 US President Barack Obama commutes WikiLeaks discloser Chelsea Manning's prison sentence from 35 to 7 years
- 2019 Car bomb in Bogotá, Colombia, outside the National Police Academy kills at least 8 and injures 41
- 2019 China executes Cai Dongjia, the country's "godfather of crystal meth" from Boshe, Guangdong
- 2019 Indian spiritual leader Ram Rahim Singh and two aides sentenced to life in prison for murdering journalist who exposed sexual abuse at the sect
- 2021 Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is arrested immediately on his return to Russia after recovering from nerve-agent poisoning [1]
- 2023 Revival of 1980s American TV sitcom "Night Court", premieres on NBC TV; John Larrquette is the sole returning cast member
- 2024 In a major victory, Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals upholds a lower court decision to block key provisions of HB 900, Texas’s controversial book rating law [1]
Royals Receive Treatment
2024 UK royal palace announces Catherine, Princess of Wales is hospitalized for abdominal surgery and King Charles III is receiving prostate treatment [1]
