Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

Pope Leo XMartin LutherPapal bullDecet Romanum Pontificem

By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.

Coonan Cross OathEastern Christianity

Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.

Benning WentworthNew Hampshire GrantsVermont

The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.

Berlingske

American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.

General (United States)George WashingtonCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess CornwallisBattle of Princeton

Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.

Prussia

Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.

Stephen F. AustinTexas

Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.

Joseph Jenkins RobertsPresident of Liberia

American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.

American Civil WarDelaware

Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.

Meiji RestorationTokugawa shogunate

Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.

Brooklyn Bridge

Battle of Bapaume, a battle in the Franco-Prussian war occurs.

Battle of Bapaume (1871)

Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop

Sino-French WarBattle of Núi Bop

The James Lick telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest refracting telescope in the world at the time.

James Lick telescopeLick ObservatoryRefracting telescope

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.

1911 Kebin earthquakeAlmatyRussian Turkestan

A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.

Siege of Sidney StreetEast End of LondonHome SecretaryWinston Churchill

An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.

January 1913 Atlantic coast stormBarometric pressureExtratropical cycloneContiguous United States

At the Paris Peace Conference, Emir Faisal I of Iraq signs an agreement with Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann on the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Paris Peace Conference, 1919Faisal I of IraqFaisal-Weizmann AgreementZionismChaim Weizmann

Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.

Benito Mussolini

Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop a revolt by banana workers fired by the United Fruit Company.

Martial lawHondurasUnited Fruit Company

Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.

Minnie D. CraigSpeaker of the North Dakota House of RepresentativesSpeaker (politics)

The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

March of DimesPresident of the United StatesFranklin D. Roosevelt

World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

World War IIPappy BoyingtonVought F4U CorsairList of World War II aces from JapanMitsubishi A6M Zero

World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan.

Chester W. NimitzUnited States NavyIwo JimaOkinawa Prefecture

Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.

Canadian AmericanJockeyGeorge WoolfGeorge Woolf Memorial Jockey Award

Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.

United States Congress

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.

Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasCentral bankPhilippines

Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.

Frances P. BoltonOliver P. BoltonOhio

A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower

The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.

Hamilton Watch CompanyWatch