1. 240 BC - The 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

2. 804 - Ludger becomes the 1st Bishop of Münster in the Holy Roman Empire.

3. 988 - Boudou IV with the Beard becomes Earl of Flanders.

4. 1282 - The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin King Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers.

5. 1296 - Edward I sacks Berwick - upon - Tweed, during armed conflict between Scotland and England.

6. 1422 - Ket Sugan, a Zen teacher, performs exorcisms to free Aizo - ji Temple.

7. 1456 - Prince Louis of Bourbon is elected Bishop of Liège.

8. 1474 - Duke Sigismund of Tyrol ends contacts with Switzerland.

9. 1533 - Thomas Cranmer becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.

10. 1603 - The Treaty of Mellifont is signed, marking the end of the Nine Years' War between the English and the Gaelic Earls in Ireland.

11. 1661 - James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, is created by King Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Also, John Fettiplace is created 1st Baronet of Childrey in Berkshire.

12. 1699 - Guru Gobind Singh establishes the Khalsa in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.

13. 1778 - Playwright Voltaire is crowned with a laurel wreath.

14. 1796 - Carl Friedrich Gauss, a German mathematician, discovers the construction of the heptadecagon.

15. 1814 - Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Declaration, which would later inspire Italian unification. Also, the Sixth Coalition forces march into Paris after defeating Napoleon.

16. 1822 - Congress combines East and West Florida into the Florida Territory.

17. 1842 - Ether is used as an anesthetic for the 1st time by Dr. Crawford Long in Georgia.

18. 1853 - Dutch post - impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh is born.

19. 1856 - The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia sign the Treaty of Paris, ending the Crimean War.

20. 1858 - The pencil with an attached eraser is patented by Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia.

21. 1863 - Danish Prince Wilhelm Georg of Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glucksburg is chosen as King George of Greece.

22. 1864 - A skirmish occurs at Mount Elba, Arkansas.

23. 1866 - Bedřich Smetana's comic opera "The Bartered Bride" premieres at the Prague Provisional Theatre.

24. 1867 - The Alaska Purchase: The US buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000.

25. 1870 - The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution is adopted, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race. Also, Florida territorial government is established, and Texas becomes the last Confederate state readmitted to the Union.

26. 1883 - The 45th Grand National: Austrian breeder Count Karel Kinsky rides Zoe Done to a 10 - length win. It is the smallest Grand National field in history.

27. 1885 - The Battle for Kushka triggers the Pandjeh Incident, which nearly leads to war between the British Empire and the Russian Empire.

28. 1893 - Thomas F. Bayard becomes the 1st US Ambassador in Great Britain.

29. 1894 - The 56th Grand National: Jockey Arthur Nightingall wins his second Grand National aboard 5/1 joint - favourite Why Not. Also, George Bernard Shaw's comedy play "Candida" premieres at the Theatre Royal, South Shields, England.

30. 1900 - The 62nd Grand National: Algy Anthony wins aboard Ambush II. The owner is the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII). Also, the Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts the compulsory education law.

31. 1906 - The 68th Grand National: Aubrey Hastings wins aboard 20/1 shot Ascetic's Silver.

32. 1909 - New York's Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens.

33. 1910 - The Mississippi legislature founds the University of Southern Mississippi.

34. 1911 - The Lötschberg Tunnel in Switzerland (13,735 m) is completed.

35. 1912 - The French protectorate in Morocco is established.

36. 1916 - In the Stanley Cup final, the Montreal Canadiens (NHA) beat the Portland Rosebuds (PCHA), 2 - 1 for a 3 - 2 series victory.

37. 1918 - In the Stanley Cup final, the Toronto Arenas (NHL) beat the Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2 - 1 for a 3 - 2 series victory. It is the 1st series contested by the new NHL.

38. 1919 - The Belgian army occupies Düsseldorf. Also, Gandhi announces resistance against the Rowlatt Act, and Paul Claudel's "Tête d'Or" premieres in Paris.

39. 1922 - KGY - AM in Olympia, WA, and WWL - AM in New Orleans, LA, begin radio transmissions.

40. 1923 - Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, formed at Howard University in 1920, incorporates.

41. 1925 - In the Stanley Cup final, the Victoria Cougars (WCHL) beat the Montreal Canadiens (NHL), 6 - 1 for a 3 - 1 series win. It is the last non - NHL team to win the trophy.

42. 1928 - In the 87th Grand National, Mr. William Dutton aboard 100/1 long - shot Tipperary Tim wins as all of the 41 other starters fall during the race.

43. 1930 - The Babberich - H soccer team forms.

44. 1935 - Newfoundland changes its time to 3½ hours west of Greenwich and repeats for 44 seconds.

45. 1939 - The 1st flight of the Australian C.A.C. CA - 16 Wirraway military aircraft takes place. Also, the Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph.

46. 1940 - The 2nd NCAA men's basketball championship: Indiana beats Kansas, 60 - 42. Also, the puppet - regime of Wang Jingwei is established.

47. 1941 - The German counter - offensive in North Africa begins.

48. 1942 - The 1st RS Ha - transport from France arrives in Camp Birkenau, and the SS murders 200 inmates of the Trawniki concentration camp.

49. 1943 - The 5th NCAA men's basketball championship: Wyoming beats Georgetown, 46 - 34. Also, the British 1st Army recaptures Sejenane.

50. 1981 - An assassination attempt against US President Ronald Reagan fails.