1. 323 BC: The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle died.

2. 303: The first official Roman edict for the persecution of Christians was issued by Emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia, ordering all churches to be closed and scriptures burnt.

3. 896: Pope Formosus crowned Arnulf King of Carinthia and Holy Roman Emperor.

4. 1071: Battle of Cassel; Robert I the Frisian defeats Arnulf III/I.

5. 1076: Pope Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

6. 1262: Li Tan, a Han warlord attached to Kublai Khan, launched a rebellion against the Mongols.

7. 1281: Simon de Brion was elected Pope Martinus IV.

8. 1288: Girolamo Masci was elected Pope Nicolas IV.

9. 1300: Pope Boniface VIII issued a papal bull instating a jubilee year, granting forgiveness of sins and debts for those who fulfill various conditions.

10. 1303: Shidebala, Emperor Yingzong of the Yuan Dynasty, was born.

11. 1316: The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdinand of Majorca and the forces of Matilda of Hainaut, ends in victory for Ferdinand.

12. 1349: Jews were expelled from Zurich, Switzerland.

13. 1371: Robert II became King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.

14. 1403: Charles VII, King of the Valois Dynasty of France, was born.

15. 1415: English King Henry V laid the foundation stone for Syon Abbey for nuns of the Bridgettine order.

16. 1440: Ladislaus V, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria of the Habsburg Dynasty, was born.

17. 1495: King Charles VIII of France entered Naples to claim the city's throne.

18. 1512: The Battle of Pavia between Spain and France broke out.

19. 1561: William I of Orange was appointed Viceroy of Burgundy and Charolais.

20. 1632: Galileo's book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was published in Florence.

21. 1633: St. Peter's Baldachin, the cathedral's sculptural centerpiece by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was inaugurated by Pope Urban VIII in Rome.

22. 1651: St. Peter's flood: A storm surge flooded the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people.

23. 1656: New Amsterdam granted a Jewish burial site.

24. 1732: George Washington was born.

25. 1744: Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié: British vs. French & Spanish fleet.

26. 1746: French troops conquered Brussels.

27. 1746: Jacobite troops vacated Aberdeen.

28. 1774: The British House of Lords ruled that authors do not have perpetual copyright.

29. 1775: The 1st US joint stock company (to make cloth) offered shares at 10 cents.

30. 1775: Jews were expelled from the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland.

31. 1784: The 1st US ship to trade with China, "Empress of China", sailed from NY.

32. 1797: The last invasion of Britain, launched by the French during the Revolutionary Wars, began near Fishguard, Wales.

33. 1799: He Shen, a powerful official in the Qing Dynasty, was forced to commit suicide in prison.

34. 1819: The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States was signed, ceding Florida to the US.

35. 1825: Russia and Britain established the Alaska-Canada boundary.

36. 1828: Russia and Persia signed the Peace of Turkmanchay.

37. 1836: Dutch garrison evacuated Fort Du Bus in New Guinea.

38. 1847: Battle of Buena Vista: US troops beat the Mexican army.

39. 1848: The February Revolution in France broke out.

40. 1854: The 1st meeting of the Republican Party was held in Michigan.

41. 1856: The 1st national meeting of the Republican Party was held in Pittsburgh.

42. 1858: Dion Boucicault's play Jessie Brown premiered in NYC.

43. 1860: Organized baseball was played in San Francisco for the 1st time between the Eagles and the Red Rovers.

44. 1864: The 2nd and last day of the Battle of Okolona, Mississippi.

45. 1872: The 1st national convention of the Prohibition Party was held in Columbus, Ohio.

46. 1876: Johns Hopkins University opened.

47. 1878: The Greenback Labor Party was formed in Toledo, Ohio.

48. 1882: The Serbian Kingdom was refounded.

49. 1902: Scientists discovered that yellow fever was spread by mosquitoes.

50. 1904: The Hague Tribunal gave its decision in claims against Venezuela.