| 1543 | | Nicolaus Copernicus publishes proof of a sun-centered solar system. He dies just after publication. |
| 1607 | | Captain Christopher Newport and 105 followers found the colony of Jamestown at the mouth of the James River on the coast of Virginia. |
| 1610 | | Sir Thomas Gates institutes "laws divine moral and marshal, " a harsh civil code for Jamestown. |
| 1624 | | After years of unprofitable operation, Virginia's charter is revoked and it becomes a royal colony. |
| 1689 | | English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration, protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are specifically excluded from exemption. |
| 1738 | | The Methodist Church is established. |
| 1764 | | Boston lawyer James Otis denounces "taxation without representation," calling for the colonies to unite in opposition to Britain's new tax measures. |
| 1798 | | Believing that a French invasion of Ireland is imminent, Irish nationalists rise up against the British occupation. |
| 1844 | | Samuel Morse taps out the first telegraph message. |
| 1846 | | General Zachary Taylor captures Monterey. |
| 1861 | | General Benjamin Butler declares slaves to be the contraband of war. |
| 1863 | | Bushwackers led by Captain William Marchbanks attack a Federal militia party in Nevada, Missouri. |
| 1878 | | The first American bicycle race is held in Boston. |
| 1930 | | Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly from England to Australia. |
| 1941 | | The British battleship Hood is sunk by the German battleship Bismarck. There are only three survivors. |
| 1951 | | Willie Mays begins playing for the New York Giants. |
| 1961 | | Civil rights activists are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi. |
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