1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.
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.
1845 – Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist (b. 1774) died.
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.
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. The first US Navy “super-dreadnought”.
1918 – The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating worldwide pandemic.
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.
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.
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 and producer was born.
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.
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.
2006 – Slobodan Milošević, Yugoslav politician, 3rd President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1941) died.
2007 – Georgia claims Russian helicopters attacked the Kodori Valley in Abkhazia, an accusation that Russia categorically denies later.
2009 – Winnenden school shooting: 16 are killed and 11 are injured before recent-graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.
2011 – An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
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