331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Waver Velvet will be very happy to hear about this.
1553 – The coronation of Queen Mary I of England is held at Westminster Abbey. A Catholic Queen of England! That worked out really well, didn't it.
1814 – The Congress of Vienna opens with the intention of redrawing Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleon in the previous spring. Oh heck, that's moderately important, right?
1949 – The People's Republic of China is established. Long live the Revolution!
1962 – James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules. A point of interest: when the state of Mississippi tried to fake up some legal obstruction to Meredith's attending the university, they did a typical racɪst two-step: (a) they passed a law barring convicted criminals from attending state schools, then (b) they framed Meredith on a charge of false voter registration.
1975 – Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines. The "Thrilla in Manila" fight!
2003 – The popular and controversial English-language imageboard 4chan is launched. Well isn't that just dandy.
2024 – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter turns 100 years old, the first President to achieve this feat. How do you like that! I miss you, President Carter.
~Chara of Pnictogen