| 1457 | | The first book ever printed is published by a German astrologer named Faust. He is thrown in jail while trying to sell books in Paris. Authorities concluded that all the identical books meant Faust had dealt with the devil. |
| 1559 | | Spanish explorer de Luna enters Pensacola Bay, Florida. |
| 1605 | | The Popham expedition reaches the Sagadahoc River in present-day Maine and settles there. |
| 1756 | | French commander Louis Montcalm takes Fort Oswego, New England, from the British. |
| 1793 | | Republican troops in France lay siege to the city of Lyons. |
| 1900 | | The European allies enter Beijing, relieving their besieged legations from the Chinese Boxers. |
| 1917 | | The Chinese Parliament declares war on the Central Powers. |
| 1942 | | Dwight D. Eisenhower is named the Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. |
| 1945 | | Japan announces its unconditional surrender in World War II. |
| 1947 | | Pakistan becomes an independent country. |
| 1973 | | The United States ends the "secret" bombing of Cambodia. |
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