The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown. Constantine VII becomes sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Stephen LekapenosConstantine LekapenosConstantine VIIByzantine Empire

Song dynasty General Yue Fei is executed.

Song dynastyYue Fei

Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, marries Constance of Sicily.

Henry VI, Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorFrederick I, Holy Roman EmperorConstance of Sicily

Dante Alighieri is exiled from Florence.

Dante AlighieriFlorence

Pope Clement VI issues the papal bull Unigenitus to justify the power of the pope and the use of indulgences. Nearly 200 years later, Martin Luther would protest this.

Pope Clement VIPapal bullUnigenitusIndulgenceMartin Luther

The Vatican opens the seven-year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno.

Holy SeeGiordano Bruno

Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.

Gunpowder PlotGuy Fawkes

Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan and Caliph of Islam in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703.

Mustafa IIOttoman sultanCaliph of IslamIstanbulAhmed II

American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox's "noble train of artillery" arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

American Revolutionary WarHenry KnoxNoble train of artilleryCambridge, Massachusetts

The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.

University of Georgia

The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears".

U.S. CongressIndian TerritoryOklahomaFive Civilized TribesTrail of Tears

Boshin War: The Battle of Toba-Fushimi between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and pro-Imperial factions begins, which will end in defeat for the shogunate, and is a pivotal point in the Meiji Restoration.

Boshin WarBattle of Toba-FushimiTokugawa shogunateEmperor of JapanMeiji Restoration

Boshin War: Tokugawa rebels establish the Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō.

Ezo RepublicHokkaidō

Thomas Edison receives the patent on the incandescent lamp.

Thomas Edison

Ibn Saud takes the title of King of Nejd.

Ibn SaudKingdom of Hejaz and Nejd

First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

World War II: The Eighth Air Force sorties ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany.

World War IIEighth Air ForceU-boatWilhelmshaven

World War II: The 900-day Siege of Leningrad is lifted.

Siege of Leningrad

World War II: The Red Army liberates the remaining inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Red ArmyAuschwitz concentration camp

Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with Operation Ranger.

Nuclear testNevada Test SiteOperation Ranger

The Soviet submarine S-80 sinks when its snorkel malfunctions, flooding the boat.

Soviet submarine S-80Submarine snorkel

Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

AstronautGus GrissomEdward Higgins WhiteRoger ChaffeeApollo 1

United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C., banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.

Soviet UnionOuter Space TreatyWashington, D.C.Nuclear weaponMoon

The Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.

Paris Peace AccordsVietnam WarWilliam Nolde

Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper.

Iran hostage crisisIranCanadian Caper

The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō, breaks through.

Seikan TunnelHonshūHokkaidō

In a military coup Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane.

1996 Nigerien coup d'étatIbrahim Baré MaïnassaraNigerMahamane Ousmane

Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

An explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos, Nigeria kills at least 1,100 people and displaces over 20,000 others.

Lagos armoury explosionLagos, Nigeria

Trajan succeeded his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire would reach its maximum extent.

TrajanNervaRoman Empire