On this day in the year 502 of the common era (CE), king Gundobar of Burgundy, and a member of the Patrician class of the western Roman Empire, delegates royal power in his submission to Clovis I, king of the Franks, a migrating tribe of Germans who gave their name to France; three hundred and forty-three years later, Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok (The Vikings), who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
On this day in the year 1461 CE at the battle of Towton, duke Edward of York defeats the Lancastrian army, deposes King Henry VI and Queen Margaret of Anjou and proclaims himself as King Edward IV; one hundred and seventy-one years later, the treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returning Quebec to French control after the English seized it in 1629. Thirty-nine years after that, in 1673 CE, the English king Charles II accepts the Test Act, which excludes Roman Catholics from public functions; one hundred and ninety-one years later, great Britain gives the Ionian Islands back to Greece. Forty years after that, in 1867 CE the British North America Act (also known as the Canadian constitution) is granted Royal Assent; one hundred and fifty-six years later, king Charles III of the United Kingdom, makes his first state visit abroad to Germany, arriving in Berlin.
On this day in 1549 CE the city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.
In 1638 CE, Fort Christina (now Wilmington is founded by Swedish Lutheran, Peter Munit, it the first permanent European settlement in the Swedish colony of New Sweden, on the Delaware Peninsula; one hundred and fifty-four years later, 1792 king Gustav III of Sweden dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm's Royal Opera just thirteen days earlier. He he is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf, who seventeen years after that, in 1809 CE abdicates after a coup d'état, at the Diet of Porvoo, in which Finland's four estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
In 1795 CE Ludwig van Beethoven (age 24) has his debut performance as a pianist at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria; on this same day, thirty-two years later, twenty-thousand people attend.
In 1798 CE the Republic of Switzerland forms.
In 1799 CE the State of New York passes a “gradual-abolition” law: stating that children of enslaved mothers are born free but still owe free service to their parent’s owners until they are age 25 if female and 28 if male…should they live so long.
In 1804 CE thousands of European slave holders are massacred in Haiti for plotting to undo the slave revolt that had taken place in Haiti over the preceding decade.
In 1806 CE construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States (U.S.) federal highway; sixty-one years later, the U.S. Congress approves building the Lincoln Memorial. One hundred and twenty-one years after that, in 1988 CE, the U.S. Congress discontinues aid to the Nicaraguan contras.
In 1831 CE the Bosnians rebel against the Ottoman Empire in the Great Bosnian uprising.
In 1847 CE, twelve thousand U.S. troops capture Vera Cruz, Mexico; eighty-two years later, U.S. president Herbert Hoover has the first telephone installed on the desk at the White house, in the Oval Office.
In 1848 CE, Niagara Falls stops flowing for 30 hours due to an ice jam in the river upstream, the flow of water stops completely over both of Niagara's two falls due to an ice jam in the upper river.
In 1852 CE the State of Ohio makes it illegal for children under eighteen and women to work more than ten hours a day.
In 1871 CE the Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria in London, England.
In 1882 CE the Knights of Columbus are chartered, an organization of Catholic men opposed to the influence of Freemasonry.
In 1897 CE Japan adopts the Gold Standard.
In 1901 CE Edmund Barton is elected prime minister in Australia's first federal election, with the Federal Labor Party MPs elected to the majority in the Australian House of Representatives and Senate.
In 1928 CE, Yeshiva College (now Yeshiva University) is chartered, in New York, New Yor
In 1930 CE, Heinrich Brüning is appointed German Chancellor; four years later, the Bank of Travail in Belgium, belonging to the socialist workers' movement, goes bankrupt. Two years after that, in 1936 CE, Nazi propaganda claims 99% of Germans voted for Nazi candidates; seven years later, meat, butter and cheese are rationed in United States for the duration of World War II. Two years after that, in 1945 CE, Hollywood movie star James Stewart is promoted to full colonel, one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years; on this same day, the last day of the V-1 flying bomb attacks is launched against England.
In 1940 CE American boxer Joe Louis knocks out Johnny Paycheck in 2 rounds to retain possession of the heavyweight championship boxing title; twenty-six years later Muhammad Ali beats George Chuvalo in fifteen rounds for the heavyweight championship boxing title.
In 1948 CE the New York Yankees & Boston Red Sox tie at 2-2 in seventeen innings, during a spring training game; seventy-seven years after that , the New York Yankees Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge hit home runs on the first three pitches from Milwaukee Brewers Nester Cortes, the start of franchise record nine homers in 20-9 win at Yankee Stadium.
In 1949 CE Turkey recognizes the nation of Israel.
In 1951 CE American citizens Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted and sentenced to death for conspiracy to commit espionage for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.).Roy Cohen was the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted them, he also served as general counsel to Joe McCarthy’s Committee on Un-American Activities in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as Donald J. Trump’s personal attorney, before he entered politics…many believed he manufactured the evidence against them.
In 1968 CE students seize the Bowie building at the State College, Maryland; eight years later, a group of eight Ohio National Guardsmen are indicted for shooting four students who were peacefully protesting at Kent State University in 1970.
In 1968 CE Teri Garr guest stars in Assignment: Earth, an episode of the original Star Trek Television series with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk; eight years later, at the 48th Academy Awards: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, wins Best Picture, Director Milos Forman wins Best Director, stars Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher win awards for Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Two years after that, in 1978 CE, The Carol Burnett Show airs its last episode on CBS, having won twenty-five Emmy Awards; fifteen years later, Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood, wins Best Picture at the 63rd Academy Awards.
In 1969 CE the Communist New People's Army is founded in the Philippines; two years later, Chilean president Allende nationalizes the country’s banks and copper mines.
In 1971 CE, 1st Lieutenant William L Calley Jr. is found guilty for war crimes committed during the My Lai massacre, during the war in Vietnam; two years later, U.S. troops leave Vietnam, nine years after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which committed the U.S. to a massive force build-up in the war after, and was predicated on a false flag operation intended to drum up public support for increased military action.
In 1971 CE the serum for a hepatitis vaccine specifically designed for children is announced.
In 1974 CE, Chinese farmers discover the Terracotta Army near Xi'an, 8,000 clay warrior statues buried to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
Also on this day in 1974 CE, the Mariner 10's, first fly-by of Mercury takes place and returns photos to mission control on earth; fifteen years later, the first U.S. private commercial rocket makes suborbital test flight at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Twenty-four years after that, in 2013 CE, the Soyuz TMA-08M sets a new record of 6 hours in orbit before docking with the International Space Station
In 1975 CE, Lady Marmalade by Labelle reaches number one on Billboard singles chart; eleven years later, records by The Beatles officially go on sale in Russia more than two decades after their release in the West. Twenty-one years after that, in 2007 CE, Rihanna releases her hit single Umbrella, featuring Jay-Z, it goes to number one on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for and stays there for seven weeks; twelve years later, The Cure, Roxy Music and The Zombies are inducted into the 34th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also on this day in 2019 CE, American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish (age 17) releases her debut studio album: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
In 1981 CE the U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan; three years later, they do it again.
In 1989 CE, I. M. Pei's pyramidal entrance to the renovated Louvre Museum opens in Paris, France.
In 1998 CE the Vasco da Gama Road bridge opens in Lisbon, Portugal, it is then the longest bridge in Europe.
In 1999 CE the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 10,000 for the first time ever; today the Dow was 45,156.51.
In 2004 CE the nations of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia all join NATO as full members.
In 2004 CE The Republic of Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
In 2005 CE the Walt Disney Company announces they will not renew the management agreement with Miramax Films, founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein when it expires.
In 2010 CE the Archaeological site of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza is purchased by the Mexican state of Yucatán from a private landowner.
In 2014 CE the first same-sex couples marry in the United Kingdom (U.K) as a result of the passing of The Marriage Act of 2013; three years later, U.K. prime minister Theresa May sends a letter to the European Union (E.U.) invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally triggering their exit from the E.U., otherwise known as Brexit…it didn’t work out so well for her or the people of the U.K..
In 2020 CE, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari orders a lockdown in the cities of Lagos and Abuja after the country records 97 COVID-19 cases and one death; on this same day, U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warns America may see between 100,000 - 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, the actual number turns out to be over one million two hundred thousand. Two years after that, in 2022 CE, the BA.2 version of Omicron is becomes the dominant form of COVID-19 in America according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; on this same day, U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes a second Pfizer or Moderna booster shot for people over 50 or who are immunocompromised.
In 2021 CE the Megaship Ever Given is freed after nearly a week stuck in, and blocking the Suez Canal, with at least three hundred and sixty-nine vessels waiting to pass though.
Also on this day in 2021 CE, the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin begins in Minneapolis, for the murder of George Floyd.
In 2022 CE, in a major victory for Ukraine, the Russian Federation announces it is withdrawing its badly mauled forces from around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
Also on this day in 2022 CE, a new study of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons footage 2015, finds evidence of cryovolcanoes and ice lava.
And also on this very same day in 2022 CE, U.S. president Joe Biden signs the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law, making lynching a federal hate crime after over 200 attempts to pass similar legislation since 1900.
In 2023 CE, researchers warn that crucial, deep Antarctic ocean currents could collapse by 42% by the year 2050 CE, stopping nutrient-dense water from flowing north, accelerating ice melt and further warming the world's oceans...
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