1. 330 - Byzantium is renamed Nova Roma during a dedication ceremony, but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople.

2. 483 - Justinian I, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, is born.

3. 868 - A copy of the Diamond Sutra is printed in China, making it the oldest - known dated printed book.

4. 1502 - Christopher Columbus leaves for his fourth and final voyage to the West Indies.

5. 1507 - France annexes Genoa, Italy.

6. 1610 - Italian missionary Matteo Ricci dies in Beijing.

7. 1647 - Peter Stuyvesant arrives in New Amsterdam to replace Willem Kieft as director - general of New Netherland.

8. 1672 - Franco - Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.

9. 1745 - War of Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy - French forces defeat an Anglo - Dutch - Hanoverian army.

10. 1792 - Captain Robert Gray becomes the first documented Caucasian to visit the Columbia River.

11. 1792 - The United States Congress passes the Postal Act, establishing the US postal system.

12. 1812 - British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is shot and killed by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons.

13. 1813 - In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory B. Lax land and William Wentworth lead an expedition westward from Sydney.

14. 1818 - Charles XIV of Sweden - Norway is crowned king of Sweden.

15. 1820 - The HMS Beagle has its official launch.

16. 1824 - The British army occupies Yangon, Burma.

17. 1846 - President of the United States James K. Polk asks for a declaration of war against Mexico, starting the Mexican - American War.

18. 1857 - Indian Mutiny: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British.

19. 1858 - Minnesota is admitted as the 32nd US state.

20. 1860 - The "Thousand - Man Army" begins its expedition in world history.

21. 1862 - American Civil War: The ironclad CSS Virginia is scuttled in the James River northwest of Norfolk, Virginia.

22. 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Yellow Tavern - Confederate General Jeb Stuart is mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia.

23. 1867 - Luxembourg gains its independence.

24. 1880 - Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough tragedy, a gun battle in California.

25. 1892 - Johan Petter Johansson of Sweden is granted a patent for the monkey wrench.

26. 1894 - Pullman Strike: Three thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike in Illinois.

27. 1901 - The world's first traffic fine is issued in Morristown, New Jersey, USA.

28. 1904 - Salvador Dalí, the master of surrealist art, is born.

29. 1907 - 32 Shriners are killed when their chartered train derails at a switch near Surf Depot in California.

30. 1910 - An act of the US Congress establishes Glacier National Park in Montana.

31. 1911 - The United States becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires Convention.

32. 1918 - The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus is created.

33. 1926 - Roald Amundsen takes off from King's Bay, Spitsbergen (now Svalbard), northern Norway, on the airship "Norge" purchased from Italy, starting the first airship flight over the North Pole.

34. 1927 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded.

35. 1934 - A massive black storm disaster occurs in the United States.

36. 1939 - The Yellow River Cantata is premiered.

37. 1944 - The Central Committee issues the "Instruction on the Working Policy in the Case of the Enemy's Offensive in Henan".

38. 1949 - The United Nations General Assembly votes to admit Israel to the United Nations.

39. 1950 - China and Denmark establish diplomatic relations.

40. 1957 - The Chinese government issues a statement condemning the United States for stationing missile troops in Taiwan.

41. 1964 - The B - 70 bomber, which can fly at a speed of 3,200 kilometers per hour, makes its official debut at the North American Aircraft Factory in Palmdale, California.

42. 1965 - The Central Committee issues the "Decision on Establishing Political Work Organs in the National Industrial and Transportation System".

43. 1985 - The Bradford City Stadium fire occurs in the UK.

44. 1987 - The world's longest - living heart - transplant patient dies.

45. 1991 - India and Pakistan reach an agreement not to attack each other in the Kashmir region.

46. 1994 - Nelson Mandela is sworn in as the President of South Africa.

47. 1995 - The "Dawn 1000" massively parallel computer system passes the national appraisal.

48. 1997 - The Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in a chess game.

49. 1998 - India conducts three underground nuclear tests, which are opposed by countries around the world.

50. 2000 - The World Intellectual Property Organization diplomatic conference is held in Geneva, and 104 countries and three inter - governmental organizations, including China, sign the final document, confirming the adoption of the new Patent Law Treaty.