A meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, with a force greater than 30 Hiroshima bombs, injuring over 1,000 people and reigniting discussions on planetary defense.
📍 Chelyabinsk, Russia
The YouTube team finalized its early documentation and layout plan for publishing videos, marking a crucial step before its first-ever upload two months later.
📍 San Mateo, California, United States
A powerful undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami along the coast of Papua New Guinea, causing widespread devastation and highlighting vulnerabilities in early warning systems.
📍 New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
Tim Berners-Lee's prototype for the World Wide Web went live at CERN, marking the quiet beginning of a technology that would transform communication, commerce, and knowledge sharing.
📍 Geneva, Switzerland
The last Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan after a decade-long occupation, marking the end of a costly conflict that contributed to the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse.
📍 Kabul, Afghanistan
French driver Alain Prost won his first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in South Africa, beginning a career that would make him one of the sport’s legends.
📍 Kyalami, South Africa
Spain held a national referendum endorsing a democratic constitution, transitioning from Francoist rule to a parliamentary democracy and integrating with modern Europe.
📍 Madrid, Spain
The World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in Asia after a successful vaccination campaign, marking a major milestone in global public health history.
📍 New Delhi, India
The United Kingdom officially decimalized its currency, transitioning from the pounds-shillings-pence system to a simpler decimal structure to modernize the economy.
📍 London, United Kingdom
Canada officially adopted the red-and-white maple leaf flag, replacing the Union Jack and symbolizing a new era of national identity and sovereignty.
📍 Ottawa, Canada
Singapore declared full independence from Malaysia, setting the stage for its transformation into a sovereign city-state and one of the world’s most advanced economies.
📍 Singapore
Chris Farley, known for his physical comedy and iconic sketches on Saturday Night Live, was born. He left a lasting impact on American comedy before his untimely death.
📍 Madison, Wisconsin, United States
The British government announced its plan to nationalize the railways, part of broader postwar efforts to rebuild infrastructure and shift key industries under public control.
📍 London, United Kingdom
The ENIAC computer was officially commissioned, becoming the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer and laying the foundation for modern computing.
📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Allied representatives completed the first draft of the United Nations Charter in preparation for the San Francisco Conference, establishing the framework for postwar global diplomacy.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The U.S. Bureau of Investigation was renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), expanding its powers and solidifying its role in domestic security and law enforcement.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, killing over 260 Americans and fueling U.S. public outrage that led to the Spanish-American War under the slogan 'Remember the Maine.'
📍 Havana, Cuba
Susan B. Anthony, a pivotal figure in the American women’s suffrage and civil rights movements, was born. Her activism helped pave the way for the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.
📍 Adams, Massachusetts, United States
The First Serbian Uprising began as a revolt against Ottoman rule, eventually leading to Serbian and Montenegrin independence and inspiring nationalist movements in the Balkans.
📍 Belgrade, Serbia
Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician who championed heliocentrism and laid the foundation for modern science, was born in Pisa, Italy.
📍 Pisa, Italy