The Second Council of Constantinople begins.

Second Council of Constantinople

Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.

John, King of EnglandMagna Carta

Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.

Kublai KhanMongol Empire

Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.

Christopher ColumbusJamaica

King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.

Charles I of EnglandShort Parliament

Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.

PrussiaTreaty of Saint Petersburg (1762)

In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.

Estates-General of 1789

Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.

Mary KiesPatentWeavingStrawSilk

The Swiss canton of Aargau allowed citizenship to Jews.

Cantons of SwitzerlandAargau

In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro the French army, under Marshall André Masséna, drive in the Duke of Wellington's overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Oñoro and the Anglo-Portuguese army holds the field at the end of the day.

Peninsular WarBattle of Fuentes de OñoroAndré MassénaArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

NapoleonSaint Helena

The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.

History of rail transport in BelgiumBrusselsMechelen

Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.

Giuseppe GaribaldiGenoaKingdom of the Two SiciliesKingdom of Italy

Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.

Cinco de MayoIgnacio ZaragozaBattle of Puebla

American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.

American Civil WarBattle of the WildernessSpotsylvania County, Virginia

American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.

Conclusion of the American Civil WarCitronelle, Alabama

American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.

Conclusion of the American Civil WarWashington, Georgia

Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.

Memorial DayWaterloo, New York

American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.

American Indian WarsSitting BullLakota peopleUnited States ArmyColonel (United States)

The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.

Bay View massacreMilwaukee

The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.

Carnegie HallPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.

PitcherPhiladelphia AthleticsHuntington Avenue GroundsCy YoungBoston Red Sox

The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.

Stratton Brothers caseFingerprint

Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.

PravdaCommunist Party of the Soviet UnionSaint Petersburg

Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.

Scopes TrialJohn T. ScopesEvolutionButler Act

The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language.

Afrikaans

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.

To the LighthouseVirginia Woolf

Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

March of the Iron WillAddis Ababa, Ethiopia

World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.

World War IIGovernment-in-exile