1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now Florida.
1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
1863 – Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia, and demand that the Confederate government release emergency supplies.
1865 – American Civil War: At the Third Battle of Petersburg Virginia, the Siege of Petersburg is broken by Union Army troops capturing trenches and breaking Confederate States Army lines, forcing the Confederates under General Robert E. Lee to retreat in the Appomattox Campaign.
1865 – American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
1872 – Samuel Morse, American inventor, invented the Morse code (b. 1791) died.
1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940) was born.
1884 – J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958) was born.
1885 – Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, North-West Territories, Canada, killing nine.
1891 – Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809) died.
1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.
1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
1908 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003) was born.
1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
1921 – The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
1932 – Charles Lindbergh, whose son was kidnapped paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. ( His son is later found dead after being murdered by Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed )
1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (The Moonglows) (d. 1984) was born.
1939 – Anthony Lake, American diplomat and academic, 18th United States National Security Advisor was birthed.
1941 – Dr. Demento, American radio host was born.
1943 – Larry Coryell, American guitarist (The Free Spirits and The Eleventh House) was born.
1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress was born.
1946 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (The Guess Who) (d. 1997) was born.
1949 – David Robinson, American drummer (The Modern Lovers, DMZ, and The Cars) was born.
1952 – Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 2001) was born.
1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor, director, and screenwriter was born.
1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012) was born.
1967 – Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Smash Mouth) was born.
1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
1975 – Construction of the CN Tower is completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It reaches 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) in height, becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure.
1978 – Nick Berg, American businessman (d. 2004) was born.
1979 – The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant
1979 – Jesse Carmichael, American keyboard player (Maroon 5) was born.
1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist most widely known for the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
1986 – Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded
1987 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, actor, and bandleader (b. 1917) died.
1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942) died.
2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.
2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) died.
2006 – Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, German wife of Claus von Stauffenberg (b. 1913) died.
2008 – President Bush backs Ukraine and Georgia’s bids for NATO membership. He is doing this with regards to European worries on the issue, and staunch opposition from Russia. Speaking before NATO’s biggest ever summit, in Bucharest, the President also urged NATO members to send more troops to Afghanistan, and to make the Afghan mission their top priority.
2012 – A mass shooting at Oikos University at Oakland, California leaves seven people dead and three injured.
2014 – A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood Army Base near the town of Killeen, Texas, with four people dead, including the gunman, and 16 others sustaining injuries.