On This Day
1946 - 1946 Dominican Republic earthquake
An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless.
On This Day
On This Day
On This Day
1783 - Tenmei eruption
Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.
On This Day
1578 - Battle of Alcácer Quibir
Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir: The Moroccans defeat the Portuguese but both the Moroccan king Abd al-Malik and the Portuguese king Sebastian die. Ahmad al-Mansur follows Abd al-Malik as sultan of Morocco while the death of Sebastian leads to a succession crisis in Portugal.
On This Day
1958 - USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, becomes the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the geographical North Pole.
On This Day
1949 - National Basketball Association
The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League finalize the merger that would create the National Basketball Association.
On This Day
1492 - Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain.
On This Day
1990 - Gulf War
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
On This Day
1776 - American Revolution
American Revolution: The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress takes place.
On This Day
1492 - Expulsion of Jews from Spain
The Jews are expelled from Spain: 40,000–200,000 leave. Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire, learning of this, dispatches the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to Ottoman lands, mainly to the cities of Thessaloniki (in modern-day Greece) and İzmir (in modern-day Turkey).
On This Day
1965 - Dune (novel)
Frank Herbert's novel, Dune was published for the first time. It was named as the world's best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.
On This Day
1927 - Nanchang Uprising Ignites China's Prolonged Civil War
On a moonless night in early August 1927, a coalition of communist officers stormed Nanchang, seizing the city and shattering the fragile KMT‑CCP alliance. The battle marked the birth of the People's Liberation Army and set China on a forty‑two‑year path of civil war.
On This Day
1774 - Oxygen
British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.