The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

Old St. Peter's Basilica

The Visigoths, led by king Alaric I, cross the Alps and invade northern Italy.

VisigothsAlaric IAlps

The Council of Clermont begins: called by Pope Urban II, it led to the First Crusade to the Holy Land.

Council of ClermontPope Urban IIFirst CrusadeHoly Land

Maginulfo is elected the Antipope as Sylvester IV.

AntipopeAntipope Sylvester IV

Phillip II becomes king of France.

Philip II of France

Pope Innocent III excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV.

Pope Innocent IIIExcommunicationHoly Roman EmperorOtto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Pope Martin IV excommunicates King Peter III of Aragon.

Pope Martin IVPeter III of Aragon

Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Unam sanctam, claiming spiritual supremacy for the papacy.

Pope Boniface VIIIPapal bullUnam sanctam

A seawall at the Zuiderzee dike in the Netherlands breaks, flooding 72 villages and killing about 10,000 people. This event will be known as St Elizabeth's flood.

ZuiderzeeSt. Elizabeth's flood (1421)

Christopher Columbus first sights the island now known as Puerto Rico.

Christopher ColumbusPuerto Rico

French King Charles VIII occupies Florence, Italy.

Charles VIII of FranceItalian War of 1494-98

Tiryaki Hasan Pasha, an Ottoman provincial governor, routs the Habsburg forces commanded by Ferdinand the Archduke of Austria during the Siege of Nagykanizsa.

Tiryaki Hasan PashaOttoman EmpireFerdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorSiege of Nagykanizsa

The new St Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

St Peter's Basilica

The future Frederick II (known as Frederick the Great), King of Prussia, is granted a royal pardon and released from confinement.

Frederick II of PrussiaKingdom of Prussia

The rebuilt debtors' prison, at the Castellania in Valletta, receives the first prisoners.

Debtors' prisonCastellania (Valletta)Valletta

The Battle of Vertières, the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, is fought, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Haiti, the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere.

Battle of VertièresHaitian RevolutionRepublic of HaitiWestern Hemisphere

In a naval action during the Napoleonic Wars, French frigates defeat British East Indiamen in the Bay of Bengal.

Action of 18 November 1809Napoleonic WarsFrigateEast IndiamenBay of Bengal

Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Krasnoi ends in French defeat, but Marshal of France Michel Ney's leadership leads to him becoming known as "the bravest of the brave".

Napoleonic WarsBattle of KrasnoiMarshal of FranceMichel Ney

King Christian IX of Denmark signs the November constitution that declares Schleswig to be part of Denmark. This is seen by the German Confederation as a violation of the London Protocol and leads to the German-Danish war of 1864.

Christian IX of DenmarkHistory of Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswigGerman ConfederationLondon Protocol (1852)

Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is published in the New York Saturday Press.

Mark TwainThe Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras CountyNew York Saturday Press

Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women are arrested for illegal voting in the United States presidential election of 1872.

Susan B. AnthonyUnited States presidential election, 1872

American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.

Time zone

Britain and the United States sign the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, which nullifies the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty and withdraws British objections to an American-controlled canal in Panama.

Hay-Pauncefote TreatyClayton-Bulwer Treaty

The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla TreatyPanamaPanama Canal Zone

Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway.

Haakon VII of Norway

Two United States warships are sent to Nicaragua after 500 revolutionaries (including two Americans) are executed by order of José Santos Zelaya.

WarshipNicaraguaRevolutionariesJosé Santos Zelaya

World War I: First Battle of the Somme: In France, British Expeditionary Force commander Douglas Haig calls off the battle which started on July 1, 1916.

World War IBattle of the SommeBritish Expeditionary Force (World War I)Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

Latvia declares its independence from Russia.

Latvia

Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This is considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickey's birthday.

Steamboat WillieCartoonWalt DisneyUb IwerksMickey Mouse

Grand Banks earthquake: Off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean, a Richter magnitude 7.2 submarine earthquake, centered on the Grand Banks, breaks 12 submarine transatlantic telegraph cables and triggers a tsunami that destroys many south coast communities in the Burin Peninsula.

1929 Grand Banks earthquakeNewfoundland (island)Richter magnitudeGrand Banks of NewfoundlandTransatlantic telegraph cable