1. In 334 BC, the Battle of the Granicus River took place. Alexander the Great's Macedonian army defeated the Persian Empire's army, which was the first major victory in Alexander's eastward conquest and opened the door to Asia.

2. In 337 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great of Rome died.

3. In 760, the 14th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet occurred.

4. In 1176, there was an assassination attempt on Saladin near Aleppo by "assassins".

5. In 1200, the Treaty of Le Goulet was signed between France and England.

6. In 1370, Jews were expelled and massacred in Brussels, Belgium.

7. In 1377, Pope Gregory XI issued five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.

8. In 1455, the Wars of the Roses in England began. Richard, Duke of York, defeated and captured King Henry VI of the House of Lancaster in the First Battle of St. Albans.

9. In 1526, Pope Clement VII, France, Genoa, Venice, Florence, and Milan formed the anti - French League of Cognac.

10. In 1570, Abraham Ortelius published the first atlas, "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" in Antwerp, with 70 maps.

11. In 1594, the siege of the Spanish - held city of Groningen began, led by the Dutch and English army under Maurice of Orange.

12. In 1629, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV signed the Peace of Lubeck.

13. In 1659, France, England, and the Netherlands signed the "Hedges Concerto" treaty.

14. In 1690, the San Francisco de los Tejas mission was founded by the Spanish on San Pedro Creek, the first Spanish mission in east Texas (later relocated).

15. In 1702, the commission for the first census of Iceland was issued, the first modern census, carried out by professor Árni Magnússon and vice - chancellor Páll Vídalín (1702 - 1703).

16. In 1712, Pope Pius V was canonized by Pope Clement XI.

17. In 1720, the foundation stone was laid for the German baroque palace, the Würzburg Residence (completed in 1744).

18. In 1746, Russia and Austria signed a treaty of cooperation.

19. In 1761, the first life insurance policy in North America was issued in Philadelphia.

20. In 1762, Sweden and Prussia signed the Treaty of Hamburg, reaffirming the status quo that existed before the Seven Years' War.

21. In 1766, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 occurred in Istanbul, causing widespread damage, followed by a significant tsunami.

22. In 1784, the Ceylonese student leader Pieter Quint Ondaatje demanded democracy.

23. In 1799, Napoleon made a statement in support of re - establishing Jerusalem for the Jews.

24. In 1803, the first US public library opened in Connecticut.

25. In 1807, former US Vice - President Aaron Burr was tried for treason in Richmond, Virginia (acquitted).

26. In 1807, Townsend Speakman first sold fruit - flavored carbonated drinks in Philadelphia.

27. In 1813, composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany.

28. In 1819, the "Savannah", the first steam - propelled vessel to attempt a transatlantic crossing, departed from Savannah, Georgia (it arrived in Liverpool, England, on June 20th).

29. In 1843, Samuel Morse was granted a patent for the telegraph, changing the way humans communicate.

30. In 1849, President Abraham Lincoln of the United States was granted a patent for a "ship - to - shore rescue device", making him the only US president with a patent.

31. In 1859, British writer Arthur Conan Doyle was born, and his detective "Sherlock Holmes" became world - famous.

32. In 1868, the "Great Train Robbery" took place near Marshfield, Indiana, and seven members of the Reno Gang made off with $96,000 in loot.

33. In 1882, Korea and the United States signed the unequal "Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Korea", and Korea began to become a semi - colony.

34. In 1885, French writer Victor Hugo died, leaving behind masterpieces such as "Les Misérables".

35. In 1906, the Wright Brothers were granted a patent for their aircraft design, laying the foundation for modern aviation technology.

36. In 1907, the Huanggang Uprising broke out in Guangdong, China, which was launched by members of the Tongmenghui, accelerating the collapse of the Qing Dynasty.

37. In 1927, American pilot Charles Lindbergh arrived at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France, in the "Spirit of St. Louis", completing the first solo non - stop trans - Atlantic flight in human history.

38. In 1933, Chinese mathematician Chen Jingrun was born.

39. In 1939, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini signed the "Pact of Steel", committing Germany and Italy to a military alliance.

40. In 1942, Mexico entered World War II and declared war on Germany.

41. In 1946, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to establish the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

42. In 1947, the "Truman Doctrine" was enacted as the US Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey.

43. In 1960, a 9.5 - magnitude earthquake struck Valdivia, Chile, the strongest earthquake in human history, killing thousands of people.

44. In 1962, the first - ever Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony was held in China.

45. In 1963, the Organization of African Unity was founded.

46. In 1972, Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka.

47. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon visited the Soviet Union and signed the "Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty I" (SALT I), easing the tense situation of the Cold War.

48. In 1990, Microsoft released Windows 3.0, promoting the popularization of the graphical interface for personal computers.

49. In 1990, North and South Yemen merged to form the Republic of Yemen.

50. In 2006, Montenegro held a referendum and decided to become independent from Serbia and Montenegro.