| 1502 | | Christopher Columbus leaves Spain on his final trip to New World. |
| 1754 | | The first newspaper cartoon in America appears. |
| 1813 | | U.S. troops under William Henry Harrison take Fort Meigs from British and Canadian troops. |
| 1864 | | Union General John Sedgwick is shot and killed by a Confederate sharpshooter during fighting at Spotsylvania. His last words are: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--" |
| 1859 | | Threatened by the advancing French army, the Austrian army retreats across the River Sesia in Italy. |
| 1915 | | German and French forces fight the Battle of Artois. |
| 1926 | | Explorer Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole. |
| 1936 | | Fascist Italy captures the city of Addis Abba, Ethiopia and annexes the country. |
| 1941 | | The German submarine U-110 is captured at sea along with its Enigma machine by the Royal Navy. |
| 1946 | | King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy abdicates his throne and is replaced by Umberto. |
| 1962 | | A laser beam is successfully bounced off the moon for the first time. |
| 1974 | | The House Judiciary Committee begins formal hearings on Nixon impeachment. |
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