The WHO declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa after more than 11,000 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It was the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history.
📍 Geneva, Switzerland (global announcement)
The United Nations began observing World Interfaith Harmony Week to promote mutual understanding and dialogue between different faiths and cultures, aiming to reduce religious tension globally.
📍 New York City, United States (UN Headquarters)
Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students, beginning as a college networking site and eventually evolving into one of the most influential social media platforms globally.
📍 Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
World Cancer Day was observed for the first time, following its declaration at the World Summit Against Cancer in Paris, to raise awareness and promote prevention, detection, and treatment worldwide.
📍 Paris, France (global observance)
Field trials for the first genetically modified plants were initiated in the U.S., laying the foundation for modern biotechnology in agriculture and food production.
📍 California, United States
Following his return from exile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini assumed control over Iran's government, solidifying the success of the Islamic Revolution and replacing the monarchy with a theocratic regime.
📍 Tehran, Iran
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the U.S. Bicentennial, calling on citizens to honor the neglected accomplishments of African Americans throughout history.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Patricia Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the left-wing terrorist group SLA. Her subsequent involvement in their activities sparked national controversy.
📍 Berkeley, California, United States
A powerful earthquake struck central Mexico, including Mexico City, causing the deaths of several hundred people and drawing international attention to the region's earthquake preparedness.
📍 Mexico City, Mexico
The USS Triton set out on Operation Sandblast, the first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth. The mission showcased U.S. Navy technological prowess during the Cold War.
📍 Groton, Connecticut, United States (launch)
Nagasaki inaugurated Peace Park to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing and promote global nuclear disarmament, becoming a powerful site of remembrance and peace education.
📍 Nagasaki, Japan
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gained full independence from British rule, becoming a self-governing Dominion within the British Commonwealth, later transforming into a republic in 1972.
📍 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta Conference to discuss postwar Europe, leading to critical decisions that shaped the Cold War world order.
📍 Yalta, Crimea (then Soviet Union)
American forces launched a major offensive to recapture Manila from Japanese occupation. The battle would lead to the city's liberation but also heavy destruction and civilian casualties.
📍 Manila, Philippines
The Nazi regime passed legislation barring Jewish doctors from treating non-Jewish patients, further institutionalizing anti-Semitic policies that preceded the Holocaust.
📍 Berlin, Germany
Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, was born. His 1932 kidnapping and murder shocked the world and led to landmark changes in U.S. federal crime legislation.
📍 Englewood, New Jersey, United States
In the lead-up to the Rand Rebellion, South African authorities violently suppressed black miners advocating for improved rights and wages, exacerbating racial divisions in the labor movement.
📍 Witwatersrand, South Africa
Rosa Parks, whose defiant stand against bus segregation sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, was born. She became a pivotal figure in the U.S. civil rights movement and a global symbol of resistance to injustice.
📍 Tuskegee, Alabama, United States
Clyde Tombaugh, the American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, was born. His discovery expanded the known boundaries of the solar system and sparked debates over planetary classification.
📍 Streator, Illinois, United States
Representatives of six Southern U.S. states met in Montgomery, Alabama, to establish the Confederate States of America, setting the stage for the American Civil War.
📍 Montgomery, Alabama, United States