Global stock markets crashed on 'Black Monday,' with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 22%, marking one of the most severe market collapses in history.
📍 Global
A powerful earthquake struck Guadeloupe, causing widespread destruction and highlighting vulnerabilities in Caribbean disaster preparedness.
📍 Guadeloupe, Caribbean
The first Blockbuster video rental store opened in Dallas, Texas, launching a global brand that transformed home entertainment consumption.
📍 Dallas, Texas, USA
The Guinness Book of Records was published in the United States for the first time, becoming a global authority on record-breaking achievements.
📍 New York, USA
The Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade, cutting off land access to West Berlin and prompting the Allied Berlin Airlift during the early Cold War.
📍 Berlin, Germany
German chemists announced the development of synthetic rubber, which would become crucial for industrial production, especially during wartime shortages.
📍 Germany
The Permanent Court of International Justice, predecessor to today’s International Court of Justice, was established to resolve disputes between nations peacefully.
📍 The Hague, Netherlands
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, renowned for his work on stellar evolution and the Chandrasekhar limit, was born. His research earned him a Nobel Prize in Physics.
📍 Lahore, British India
The Teatro Colón, one of the world's leading opera houses renowned for its acoustics and architecture, opened in Buenos Aires.
📍 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Stonehenge was photographed from the air for the first time, pioneering archaeological aerial survey techniques that transformed site analysis.
📍 Wiltshire, England
For the first time, fingerprints were used as evidence to solve a crime, marking a pivotal advancement in forensic science.
📍 London, England
Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan novelist and Nobel Prize winner known for his works on political oppression and indigenous culture, was born.
📍 Guatemala City, Guatemala
The Budapest Metro, the first underground railway in continental Europe, officially opened, marking a milestone in urban transportation.
📍 Budapest, Hungary
Thomas Edison filed a patent application for his invention of the electric incandescent lamp, a breakthrough that revolutionized modern lighting.
📍 Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA
Auguste Lumière, co-inventor of the cinematograph and a founding figure in the motion picture industry, was born.
📍 Besançon, France
During the Crimean War, the telegraph was used for the first time in military communication, revolutionizing wartime strategy and coordination.
📍 Crimea
Portugal formally recognized Brazil's independence, ending colonial rule and establishing Brazil as a sovereign empire under Dom Pedro I.
📍 Lisbon, Portugal
The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of Nations, ended with Napoleon’s defeat, marking a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars.
📍 Leipzig, Germany
British General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War and securing U.S. independence.
📍 Yorktown, Virginia, USA
The word 'computer' appeared in print for the first time, originally referring to a person who performed calculations, long before modern machines.
📍 London, England