Events 1 - 200 of 215
Cicero's Catiline Orations
63 BC Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations
- 633 Visigothic King Sisenand convenes Fourth Council of Toledo at the church of Saint Leocadia in Toledo; all bishops of Hispania agree to establish seminaries in cathedral cities and implement educational standards
Charlemagne Rules Alone
771 Charlemagne becomes the sole King of the Franks after the death of his brother Carloman
- 1082 Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona is assassinated
- 1301 Pope Boniface VIII's decree Ausculta fili (only nominee)
1349 Black Death Massacre: 500 Jews of Free Imperial City of Nuremberg massacred during Black Death riots; part of a wave of pogroms across Western Europe
- 1360 The French Franc is created
- 1408 Emir Edigu of Golden Horde reaches Moscow
- 1448 Bishop Jona of Moscow chosen as metropolitan of Kiev/Intoxication
- 1456 Earthquake strikes Naples, killing an estimated 35,000 people
Columbus Sights Hispaniola
1492 Christopher Columbus is the first European to sight Hispaniola (modern Dominican Republic and Haiti)
- 1496 Jews are expelled from Portugal by order of King Manuel I
- 1590 Niccolo Sfondrati chosen as Pope Gregory XIV
- 1602 Giulio Caccini and Ottario Rinuccini's opera "Euridice" premieres at the Pitti Palace, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy)
Shakespeare's First Folio Sold
1623 First copies purchased of William Shakespeare's First Folio, collecting his plays posthumously into one volume, bought by Edward Dering
Blackbeard Ransacks the Margaret
1717 English pirate Blackbeard ransacks the merchant sloop "Margaret" and keeps her captain, Henry Bostock prisoner for 8 hours before releasing him. Bostock later provides the first record of Blackbeard's appearance, and the source for his name.
- 1741 -6] Russian princess Elisabeth Petrovna grabs powers
- 1746 Revolt in Genoa against Spanish rule.
- 1757 Battle of Leuthen: Prussian army beats Austrians
- 1766 World's largest auction house - Christie's hold their first sale in their permanent saleroom in Pall Mall, London
- 1776 First US fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa (William & Mary College), forms
- 1798 Dutch troops occupy Hasselt
Symphonie Fantastique
1830 Hector Berlioz's program symphony "Symphonie fantastique" premieres at the Paris Conservatoire
- 1831 Former US President John Q Adams takes his seat as a member of House of Representatives
- 1835 - 10th: Assault on Mexican-held San Antonio by Texan rebels
- 1837 Hector Berlioz's "Requiem" premiere at Les Invalides, conducted by François Habeneck
- 1837 Uprising under William Lyon Mackenzie in Canada
- 1846 German-Swiss chemist Christian Freidrich Schoenbein obtains a patent for cellulose nitrate explosive
Jefferson Davis to Senate
1847 Jefferson Davis is appointed to fill vacant US Senate seat for Mississippi
1848 US President James K. Polk triggers Gold Rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California
- 1854 Aaron Allen of Boston patents folding theater chair
The Octaroon
1859 Dion Boucicault's stage melodrama "The Octaroon" opens at The Winter Garden Theatre, NYC
Battle of Interest
1862 Battle of Coffeeville: Confederate forces halt Ulysses S. Grant's Mississippi invasion via Tennessee
- 1865 Chincha Islands War: Peru allies with Chile against Spain.
- 1868 1st American bicycle college opens (NY)
- 1872 Ship the Mary Celeste is discovered mysteriously abandoned by her crew in the Atlantic Ocean
- 1876 Daniel Stillson (Mass) patents 1st practical pipe wrench
- 1876 Fire at Brooklyn Theater kills 295, trampled or burned to death
- 1879 1st automatic telephone switching system patented
- 1881 47th Congress (1881-83) convenes
- 1887 Stanley's expedition reaches plateau at Lake Albert Congo
- 1890 Hector Berlioz's opera "Les Troyens" premieres in Karlsruhe, Germany
- 1892 Anti-semite Hermann Ahlwardt elected to Germany's Reichstag
- 1893 Electric car built at the Dixon Carriage works in Toronto, could go 15 miles between charges
- 1894 Georges Feydeaus' "L'hôtel du libre échange" premieres in Paris
Emperor and Galilean
1896 Henrik Ibsen's play "Kejsor og Galileer" (Emperor and Galilean) premieres in Leipzig
- 1905 Henry Campbell-Bannermam (Lib) becomes UK PM
- 1908 1st US football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)
- 1912 The Triple Alliance among Italy, Austria, and Germany (originally signed in 1882) is renewed for six years, beginning in 1914, a move inspired by instability in the Balkans
- 1914 The Italian Parliament proclaims the neutrality of the country.
- 1917 Austro-German Forces launch an offensive against the Italians on the western end of their line, around Asiago
- 1918 Oil refinery on Curacao opens
- 1920 Dimitrios Rallis forms a government in Greece.
- 1920 Pro football playoff game Akron & Buffalo 0-0 tie, title undecided
- 1924 Hamilton Tiger Red Green scores 5 goals to beat Tor Maple Leafs 10-5
Event of Interest
1925 Hans Luther forced to resign as Chancellor and head of the German Weimar government
- 1928 England defeats Australia by record 675 runs at Brisbane
- 1928 Wilhelm Miklas elected president of Austria
- 1929 1st US nudist organization, the American League for Physical Culture in New York City
- 1933 Prohibition ends in the US when 21st Amendment to the US Constitution ratified, 18th Amendment repealed (5:32 PM EST)
- 1935 First commercial hydroponics operation established (Montebello, California)
- 1935 National Council of Negro Women forms by Mary McLeod Bethune (NYC)
- 1936 Armenian SSR, Azerbaijan SSR, Georgian SSR, Kazakh SSR & Kirghiz SSR becomes constituent republics of Soviet Union
- 1941 "Sullivan's Travels", directed by Preston Sturges and starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake, is released
- 1941 Football Writers Association of America organized
- 1941 Patrick Hamilton's "Angel Street" premieres in NYC
- 1941 Sister Elizabeth Kenny new treatment for infantile paralysis approved
- 1941 Soviet anti-offensive in Moscow drives out Nazi army
1941 US aircraft carrier Lexington and 5 heavy cruisers leave Pearl Harbor
- 1942 Seyss-Inquart orders students in nazi-Germany to work
- 1942 West Indies chocolate/coffee drop above Netherland
- 1943 NFL Philadelphia Eagle-Pitts Steeler merger dissolves
- 1944 German troops steal all the silver coin in Utrecht
- 1945 Dutch Special Council of Annulment affirms death sentence of radio presenter Max Blokzijl for broadcasting Nazi propaganda
- 1945 Flight 19 the "Lost Squadron" of 5 torpedo bombers and 14 airmen is lost east of Florida in the supposed Bermuda Triangle
Committee on Civil Rights
1946 US President Harry Truman creates Committee on Civil Rights by Exec Order #9808
- 1948 NY Giant Charley Conerly sets NFL record of 36 pass completions
- 1950 Sikkim becomes a protectorate of India
- 1952 Great Smog of London (England): Killer fog creeps in, as still winds and cold temperatures cause pollution fueled by coal smoke to stagnate; lasting 4 days, over 8,000 deaths attributed to conditions [1] [2]
- 1954 KTEW (now KJRH) TV channel 2 in Tulsa, OK (NBC) begins broadcasting
- 1955 American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merge to form the AFL-CIO, with George Meany as President
Alabama Bus Boycott
1955 Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery, Alabama by Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists
- 1956 17-year-old British swimmer Judy Grinham and American Carin Cone both swim world record 1:12.9 in the women's 100m backstroke at the Melbourne Olympics; Grinham is awarded gold medal
- 1956 Danish yachtsman Paul Elvstrøm wins the Finn class gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; his 2nd straight Finn gold and 3rd consecutive Olympic gold in sailing
Larisa Latynina's Golds
1956 Soviet artistic gymnast Larisa Latynina wins the women's vault and ties for gold in the floor exercise section at the Melbourne Olympics; later takes gold total to 4 with teams and individual all-round titles
- 1957 NYC is first US city to legislate against racial or religious discrimination in housing market (Fair Housing Practices Law)
- 1957 William Inge's "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" premieres in NYC
- 1958 Phils drop plans for NY sportcast as Yanks threat to do same in Philadelphia
Subscriber Trunk Dialling
1958 Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the UK by Queen Elizabeth II when she speaks to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh.
- 1958 The Preston bypass, the UK's first stretch of motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. It is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.
- 1958 WTOL TV channel 11 in Toledo, OH (CBS) begins broadcasting
- 1959 Future Pakistan cricket captain Intikhab Alam bowls Australian opener Colin McDonald with his first ball in Test cricket in drawn 3rd Test in Karachi
- 1960 Ghana drops diplomatic relations with Belgium
- 1964 Captain Roger Donlon is awarded the first Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War for successfully repelling a large Viet Cong attack
- 1965 Brunswick Records releases "My Generation", the debut album of British rock group The Who, in the UK and Australia
Esposito Scores on Brother's Debut
1968 Future Hockey Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins scores 2 goals in his goaltender brother Tony's (also HOF) NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens; 2-2 tie
Come and Get It
1969 Apple Records releases the single "Come and Get It" by the band Badfinger; track was written and produced by Paul McCartney for the dark comedy film "The Magic Christian" starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr
- 1969 Four-node ARPANET network is established between the University of California, Los Angeles, Stanford Research Institute, U.C. Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah
- 1969 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1970 NFL Los Angeles Rams running back Willie Ellison sets NFL record of 247 yards rushing
- 1970 Premiere of Dario Fo's Morte accidentale di un anarchico
- 1970 Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy & Bill Masterson Trophy stolen from Hockey Hall of Fame
- 1971 Ian Dury performs his first gig with Kilburn and the High Roads at Croydon School of Art
- 1971 KCBJ (now KMIZ) TV channel 17 in Columbia, MO (ABC) 1st broadcast
- 1971 Libya nationalizes British Petroleum concession
- 1972 38th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska (FL)
- 1972 Australia Labour party wins parliamentary election
- 1972 Joseph A Walker's "River Niger" premieres in NYC
Band on the Run
1973 Apple Records releases Paul McCartney & Wings album "Band on the Run" in US; the commercial and critical pinnacle of his post-Beatle work tops the charts in 7 countries
- 1973 Chicago Cubs Ron Santo becomes 1st baseball player to invoke 10-5 rule and veto his trade (with the California Angels)
- 1974 1st World Football League Bowl, Birmingham Americans beat Florida
- 1974 Airport terminal roof in Tehran collapses killing 17
Monty Python's Flying Circus
1974 Final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus airs on BBC TV
- 1974 NFL's Seattle Seahawks forms
- 1974 Oliver Tilden Triangle in the Bronx named
- 1975 NASA launches space vehicle S-196, it failed
- 1977 Egypt breaks off diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq & South Yemen
Rose Highest Paid Player
1978 Free agent Pete Rose signs 4-year, $32 million contract with Phillies becoming highest paid baseball player
- 1978 New York Islanders took 28 shots in 1 period vs Pittsburgh Penguins; Penguins' Ross Lonsberry failed on 7th penalty shot against Islanders
- 1978 Pioneer Venus 1 begins orbiting Venus
- 1978 Sam Shepard's "Buried Child" premieres in NYC
Chappell, Hughes Rescue Australia
1979 Ex-World Series Cricket combatants Greg Chappell (124) and Kim Hughes (130no) return to rescue Australia on last day of the drawn 1st Test v West Indies in Brisbane
- 1980 Bank of Canada's Canadian Currency Museum opens
- 1981 47th Heisman Trophy Award: Marcus Allen, Southern Cal (RB)
- 1981 France performs nuclear test
- 1982 Dutch judoka Ingrid Berghmans retains judo's world championship
- 1982 Mel Gray ends NFL streak of 121 consecutive game receptions
- 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe sets club record with 33 pass completions
- 1982 Seattle Univ Baptist Ch declares sanctuary for Cen Am refugees
- 1982 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- 1983 12 killed by a car bomb shattering 9-story building in west Beirut
- 1983 ICIMOD established and inaugurated with its headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal, and legitimised through an Act of Parliament in Nepal in the same year.
- 1983 LA Dodger pitcher Steve Howe is suspended for 1 year for cocaine use
- 1984 French colonies killed 10 Kanaken in New Caledonia
- 1984 New York Yankees trade catcher Rick Cerone to Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher
Rickey Henderson to the Yankees
1984 Oakland Athletics trade Rickey Henderson to the NY Yankees for Jay Howell and Jose Rijo
- 1985 Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 1,500 level for 1st time
- 1985 Great Britain performs nuclear test
- 1985 Sam Shepard's "Lie of the Mind" premieres in NYC
- 1987 53rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Brown, Notre Dame (WR)
- 1987 David Boon's 5th Test Cricket century, 143 v NZ at Brisbane
- 1987 Schonbrunn skates world record 3 km ladies (4:16.76)
Becker's 1st ATP
1988 Boris Becker beats defending champion Ivan Lendl 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6 in a classic final to win his first of 3 ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Jim Bakker Indicted
1988 Federal grand jury indicts The PTL Club founder and Christian evangelist Jim Bakker for fraud after he paid hush money to cover up an alleged rape
- 1988 Shuttle Atlantis launches world's 1st nuclear-war-fighting satellite
- 1989 France TGV train reaches world record speed of 482.4 kph
- 1990 Blue Jays trade F McGriff & T Fernandez to SD for R Alomar & J Carter
Rushdie Appears in Public
1990 British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie appears in public for 1st time in 2 years after Iran called for his assassination
- 1990 Former Noriega aide Luis del Cid pleads guilty
- 1990 Iraq announces willingness to speak with US about resolving the Persian Gulf crisis
- 1991 Charles Keating Jr (Lincoln Savings & Loan fraud), found guilty
- 1991 NY Daily News files for protection under chapter 11
- 1993 Astronauts begin repair of Hubble telescope in space
- 1993 Rafael Caldera elected President of Venezuela
- 1993 The mayor of Wien (Vienna), Helmut Zilk, is wounded by a letter bomb.
- 1995 The Sri Lankan government announces the conquest of Tamil stronghold of Jaffna.
- 1996 "Dreams & Nightmares" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC
- 1996 Players union approves new collective bargaining agreement
- 1996 Portland's Jermaine O'Neal at 18 becomes the youngest NBA player
- 1997 1st Game at Wash Capitals' MCI Center vs Fla Panthers
- 1997 STS 87 (Columbia 24) lands
- 2000 "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack to the film of the same name released
Thalia Hollywood Star
2003 Mexican singer Thalia the "Queen of Latin Pop" is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles
- 2005 The Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom, and the first civil partnership is registered there.
- 2005 The Lake Tanganyika earthquake causes significant damage, mostly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Audrey Hepburn's Famous Dress
2006 Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy little black dress from film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" auctioned for charity for record £467,200 ($923,187) at Christie's, London
Maddux's $10M Deal
2006 Greg Maddux signs a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth $10 million
- 2007 Westroads Mall massacre: A gunman opens fire with a semi-automatic rifle at an Omaha, Nebraska mall, killing eight people before taking his own life.
O. J. Simpson Sentenced
2008 Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery
Nicholas II Remains Identified
2008 Human remains previously found in 1991 are finally identified by Russian and American scientists as those of Tsar Nicholas II
- 2012 8 people are killed and 12 injured by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in South Korea
- 2012 In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne cuts the UK growth forecast for 2013 to 1.2% from the 2% forecast in the budget
- 2013 52 people are killed and 167 are injured in a militant attack on a defense ministry compound in Sana'a, Yemen
- 2016 Malta becomes the 1st country in Europe to outlaw conversion therapy
- 2017 Artist Lubaina Himid wins Britain's Turner Prize, oldest person at 63 and first nonwhite woman
- 2017 Austrian courts rule in favour of same-sex marriage from 2019
- 2017 Democratic representative John Conyers resigns from US Congress after allegations of sexual harassment
- 2017 Netflix fires actor Danny Masterson from "The Ranch" after allegations of rape filed against him by 3 women
- 2017 Online store Amazon begins operations in Australia
- 2017 Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping
BTS Most Tweeted
2017 Twitter reveals K-pop boy band BTS were the most tweeted-about celebrities in 2017
- 2018 Arrest of Huawei Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou for possible violation of Iran sanctions in Canada
- 2018 CO2 emissions reach all-time high (up 2.7%) driven by coal use in China and consumption of oil, in Global Carbon Project report
Get Our Daily Email
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sLrToaCsnJGue6S7zGicr52eqcBwsMScnKaalad8dg%3D%3D