1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occurs in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of objects like cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy.
1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
1812 – Charles Dickens, English author (d. 1870) was born.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the second piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1904 – A fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1914 – Ramón Mercader, Spanish assassin of Leon Trotsky (d. 1978) was born.
1935 – The classic board game Monopoly is invented.
1940 – The second full length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premieres.
1956 – Mark St. John, American guitarist (Kiss and White Tiger) (d. 2007) was born.
1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
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