222 – Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber.
1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.
1880 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenecist (d. 1943) was birthed.
1824 – The United States Department of War creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1845 – The Flagstaff War: Unhappy with translational differences regarding the Treaty of Waitangi, chiefs Hone Heke, Kawiti and Māori tribe members chop down the British flagpole for a fourth time and drive settlers out of Kororareka, New Zealand.
1848 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.
1861 – American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.
1873 – David Horsley, English-American director and producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1933) was born.
1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
1916 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is commissioned as the first US Navy “super-dreadnought”.
1918 – The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating worldwide pandemic.
1931 – The work on the Boulder Dam was started after having been approved in 1928 and when completed it will be the worlds tallest dam at over 700 ft. The dams mission is not only to flood control but also to supply irrigation and domestic water needs and to provide silt control for the Colorado river. The cost will be met long term through the production of Hydro Electric Power.
1932 – Booming Ben, the last Heath Hen was seen for the final time.
1938 – This was the date that the Revenue Act of 1938 was passed. The content of this particular piece of legislation had called for a series of corporate tax cuts, which was a very controversial topic during this period in history. At first President Roosevelt had opposed this bill, and refused to sign it. However, Congress had managed to override the president’s veto.
1941 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.
1942 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur flees Corregidor.
1945 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attempts a large-scale kamikaze attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Ulithi atoll in Operation Tan No. 2.
1946 – Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.
1952 – Douglas Adams, English-American author and playwright (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) (d. 2001) was born.
1955 – Jimmy Fortune, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Statler Brothers) was born.
1955 – Sir Alexander Fleming remembered for his discovery of the drug penicillin dies in London of A Heart Attack.
1955 – Oscar F. Mayer, German-American businessman, founded Oscar Mayer (b. 1859) died.
1964 – Vinnie Paul, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (Pantera, Damageplan, Hellyeah, and Gasoline) was born.
1965 – Jesse Jackson, Jr., American politician was birthed.
1967 – Concern rose among Americans when Gov. George Romney decided to run for president under the Republican ticket. One of the major concerns about Romney running for office included the fact that the Mormon Church to which he belonged advocated segregation. Moreover, Romney’s church considered African-Americans an inferior race. Nevertheless, George Romney assured the public that he believed that all Americans should be allowed the same opportunities in life. He encouraged people to judge him (Romney) on his actions and not how his church believes. His desire was similar to that expressed by President John F. Kennedy-to act according to national interest, and not according to religion.
1969 – Levi Jeans add the latest craze of jeans to their line of Jeans which had become fashionable as part of the hippie counterculture movement together with love beads, granny glasses, and tie-dye shirts.
1971 – Johnny Knoxville, American actor, stuntman, and producer (Jackass) was born.
1974 – Adam Wakeman, English guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter (Black Sabbath and Headspace) was born.
1975 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla forces establish control over Ban Me Thuot commune from the South Vietnamese army.
1977 – The 1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege: more than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are set free after ambassadors from three Islamic nations join negotiations.
1977 – Film director Roman Polanski is charged with four charges including rape, sodomy, child molestation and giving drugs to a minor in the case raping a 13-year-old girl at the home of Hollywood star Jack Nicholson.
1979 – Benji Madden, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Good Charlotte, Dead Executives, and Taintstick) was born
1979 – Joel Madden, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Good Charlotte and Dead Executives) was birthed.
1983 – Pakistan successfully conducts a cold test of a nuclear weapon.
1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in the next day, becoming the first “female” Attorney General of the United States.
2003 – Following the strong words used by the French President Jacques Chirac opposing US policy in Iraq American restaurants are renaming “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries”, the protests even include the House of Representatives restaurants and bars which have renamed “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries” and “French Toast” to “Freedom Toast” .
2004 – Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid, Spain, kill 191 people.
2008 – The State Department has released its annual report on human rights, and details abuses in China, Russia, Syria and Zimbabwe. Unlike previous years, China is not listed as one of the world’s most systematic human rights violators, although it is described as an authoritarian regime that denies its people basic human rights and freedoms, tortures prisoners and restricts the media.
2011 – Jack Hardy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947) died.
2014 – Russia annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Getting 2014 Crimean crisis and 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
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