- 1556: In one of the deadliest earthquakes on record, an estimated 830,000 people perish in Shaanxi, China.
- 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.
- 1940: The first official Boy Scout troop is organized in England.
- 1945: Operation Hannibal, the largest evacuation in maritime history, concludes with the rescue of around 800,000 German refugees fleeing the advancing Red Army.
- 1950: Israel declares Jerusalem its capital, a decision contested by the international community.
- 1957: Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to Wham-O, which renames it the "Frisbee."
- 1960: The bathyscaphe Trieste descends to the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth.
- 1963: The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins.
- 1964: The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
- 1986: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its first induction ceremony, honoring artists like Ray Charles, James Brown, and Elvis Presley.
- 2003: Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida.
Notable births:
- 1737: John Hancock, American statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- 1897: Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian nationalist leader.
- 1910: Django Reinhardt, French jazz guitarist.
- 1919: Ernie Kovacs, American comedian and television personality.
- 1944: Arjen Robben, Dutch footballer.
