Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.

Siege of Rome (537-38)OstrogothsVitigesSiegeBelisarius

Louis V becomes King of the Franks.

Louis V of FranceFranks

Assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders.

AssassinationCharles I, Count of FlandersCountFlanders

Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.

SkanderbegAlbaniansLeague of Lezhë

George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia.

George of PoděbradyKingdom of Bohemia

Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.

Burgundian WarsOld Swiss ConfederacyCharles the BoldDuchy of BurgundyBattle of Grandson

The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.

College of ArmsRoyal CharterRichard III of England

Vasco da Gama's fleet visits the Island of Mozambique.

Vasco da GamaIsland of Mozambique

Mendoza, Argentina is founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro del Castillo.

Mendoza, ArgentinaPedro del Castillo

Great Fire of Meireki: A fire in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan, caused more than 100,000 deaths; it lasted three days

Great Fire of MeirekiEdoTokyo

The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.

The Loves of Mars and VenusBallet

American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.

American Revolutionary WarPatriot (American Revolution)Province of GeorgiaJames Wright (governor)Battle of the Rice Boats

Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.

Semaphore line

The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.

Bank of EnglandBank of England note issuesBanknotes of the pound sterlingBanknotes of the pound sterlingBanknote

The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.

United States CongressAct Prohibiting Importation of SlavesSlavery

The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.

Wernerian Natural History SocietyLearned societyEdinburgh

Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.

Argentine War of IndependenceSpanish EmpireFlotillaMay RevolutionBattle of San Nicolás

Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy.

Kandyan ConventionKingdom of Kandy

Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.

Roberto CofresíPirateCapture of the El Mosquito

Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.

Texas RevolutionTexas Declaration of IndependenceRepublic of Texas

Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.

Alexander II of RussiaTsar

The two-day Great Slave Auction, the largest such auction in United States history, begins.

The Great Slave AuctionUnited States

East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand.

East Cape WarVölkner Incident

The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.

Reconstruction Act

U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.

U.S. presidential election, 1876Rutherford B. HayesSamuel J. Tilden

Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.

Queen VictoriaRoderick McLean

Ethiopian victory over the Italian forces in the Battle of Adwa.

Battle of Adwa

United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.

U.S. SteelCarnegie Steel CompanyFederal Steel Company

The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.

Platt AmendmentCuba

In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.

Martha Washington Hotel