Construction began on the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, which would become the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, symbolizing Malaysia’s economic rise.
📍 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Spain’s Basque Parliament approved its Statute of Autonomy, granting broad self-governance rights and establishing the Basque Country as a recognized autonomous region.
📍 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Peaceful civil rights demonstrators marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, were violently attacked by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The event, known as Bloody Sunday, galvanized national support for voting rights legislation.
📍 Selma, Alabama, United States
The Beatles released their debut album 'Please Please Me' in the United Kingdom, marking the official beginning of Beatlemania and a global musical revolution.
📍 London, United Kingdom
Ellen Fairclough became Canada’s first female federal cabinet minister, paving the way for women's greater participation in national politics and government leadership roles.
📍 Ottawa, Canada
The United Nations held its first formal session on global disarmament, laying the groundwork for future treaties aimed at controlling the spread of nuclear and conventional weapons.
📍 New York City, United Nations Headquarters
David Ben-Gurion, leader of the Mapai party, officially formed the first government of the State of Israel following the country's first parliamentary elections.
📍 Tel Aviv, Israel
German troops marched into the demilitarized Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. The move marked a significant step toward the aggression that would lead to World War II.
📍 Rhineland, Germany
Parker Brothers began selling the board game Monopoly, inspired by anti-monopoly ideas. It became one of the best-selling and most influential games in history.
📍 Salem, Massachusetts, United States
Maurice Ravel’s orchestral masterpiece 'Boléro' was performed publicly for the first time. Its repetitive, crescendo-building style became one of the most recognized classical works worldwide.
📍 Paris, France
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen announced plans for a daring Arctic air expedition using flying boats. The mission demonstrated new possibilities in polar aviation and exploration.
📍 Oslo, Norway
As part of the British-led Mesopotamian campaign, Allied forces took control of Baghdad’s railway station from the Ottoman Empire, marking a key milestone in WWI’s Middle Eastern front.
📍 Baghdad, Ottoman Empire (now Iraq)
In a groundbreaking trial, fingerprint evidence was admitted in a U.S. court for the first time during a murder case in Illinois, revolutionizing forensic science and criminal investigation.
📍 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alexander Graham Bell received U.S. Patent No. 174,465 for the invention of the telephone, a breakthrough that revolutionized global communication and laid the foundation for the telecommunications industry.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Edward A. Calahan received a patent for the first electric stock ticker, revolutionizing how financial data was transmitted and helping modernize global trading systems.
📍 New York City, United States
Bayer AG, a major German pharmaceutical and chemical company, was founded. Known for developing aspirin, Bayer became a global leader in healthcare and life sciences.
📍 Barmen, Prussia (now Wuppertal, Germany)
Charles Mason became the first Commissioner of the newly created U.S. Department of Agriculture, laying the foundation for modern federal agricultural policy and rural development programs.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Luther Burbank, a pioneering American botanist and horticulturist who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants, was born. His work revolutionized agriculture worldwide.
📍 Lancaster, Massachusetts, United States
Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Prussian army at the Battle of Craonne during the War of the Sixth Coalition. It was one of his last major victories before his first abdication.
📍 Craonne, France
Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor known for his peaceful and prosperous rule, died and was succeeded by Marcus Aurelius. His reign marked a high point of the Pax Romana.
📍 Lorium, Roman Empire