Gordian II loses the Battle of Carthage against the Numidian forces loyal to Maximinus Thrax and is killed. Gordian I, his father, commits suicide.

Gordian IIBattle of Carthage (238)NumidiaMaximinus ThraxGordian I

Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

AnthemiusRoman emperor

King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, bishop of York.

Edwin of NorthumbriaPaulinus of YorkYork

King Karl Sverkersson of Sweden is murdered on Visingsö.

Karl SverkerssonVisingsö

The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.

Fourth CrusadeConstantinopleSiege of Constantinople (1204)

The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.

Union FlagKingdom of EnglandKingdom of Scotland

American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.

American RevolutionHalifax ResolvesNorth Carolina Provincial CongressSecond Continental Congress

The Froberg mutiny ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli.

Froberg mutinyFort Ricasoli

Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.

Alexander YpsilantisFiliki EteriaOttoman Empire

Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England cause it to collapse.

Broughton Suspension BridgeManchester

American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.

American Civil WarBattle of Fort SumterConfederate States of AmericaFort SumterCharleston, South Carolina

American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw).

Great Locomotive ChaseKennesaw, Georgia

American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.

Battle of Fort PillowConfederate States ArmyAfrican AmericanFort PillowTennessee

American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.

Mobile, AlabamaUnion (American Civil War)

The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.

United KingdomSouth African Republic

SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.

SMS ZrínyiPre-dreadnought battleshipAustria-Hungary

World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.

World War ICanadian Expeditionary ForceBattle of Vimy RidgeGermans

Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Communist Party of China members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.

Shanghai massacre of 1927Chiang Kai-shekCommunist Party of ChinaFirst United Front

Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town and killed 72 townspeople and injured 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.

Rocksprings, TexasTexas

The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.

Bremen (aircraft)Junkers W 33

The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.

Wind speedMount Washington (New Hampshire)New Hampshire

The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.

Auto-Lite strikeOhio National GuardStrike action

Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.

Frank WhittleJet engineRugby, Warwickshire

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt's death.

Franklin D. RooseveltHarry S. Truman

The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reached Tangermünde—only 50 miles from Berlin.

Ninth United States ArmyWilliam Hood SimpsonElbeMagdeburgTangermünde

The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.

Polio vaccineJonas SalkJonas Salk

The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.

Soviet UnionCosmonautYuri GagarinOuter spaceOrbit

The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.

Soviet UnionSoviet submarine K-33

Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.

Soviet submarine K-8Bay of Biscay

Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'état, ending over 130 years of minority Americo-Liberian rule over the country.

Samuel DoeLiberiaCoup d'étatAmerico-Liberian