The United Nations declared November 16 as the International Day for Tolerance to promote respect and appreciation for diversity worldwide.
📍 Global
NASA launched Columbia on its second mission, marking the first time a crewed spacecraft was reused in spaceflight history.
📍 Kennedy Space Center, USA
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's national scientific institution for research and innovation, was established in Beijing.
📍 Beijing, China
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded to foster international collaboration in education, science, and culture.
📍 London, England
The first phase of the Battle of the Atlantic concluded, marking a temporary lull in German U-boat attacks against Allied shipping.
📍 Atlantic Ocean
Jacob Schick patented the first successful electric razor, revolutionizing personal grooming technology.
📍 USA
*Life* magazine published its first issue, revolutionizing photojournalism and becoming a major influence in media.
📍 New York City, USA
German troops used chlorine gas for the first time on the Eastern Front during World War I, marking a grim development in chemical warfare.
📍 Poland
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the largest and most influential of the U.S. Federal Reserve Banks, began operations.
📍 New York City, USA
Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as the 46th U.S. state, uniting Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.
📍 Oklahoma, USA
The New York Stock Exchange moved into its iconic building on Wall Street, solidifying its role in global finance.
📍 New York City, USA
Paul Hindemith, influential German composer, violist, and conductor known for his modernist works, was born.
📍 Hanau, Germany
Louis Riel, leader of the Métis people and central figure in Canadian resistance movements, was executed for treason.
📍 Regina, Canada
W. C. Handy, known as the 'Father of the Blues' for popularizing blues music, was born in Alabama.
📍 Florence, Alabama, USA
The French Foreign Legion made a legendary last stand at the Battle of Camarón during the French intervention in Mexico.
📍 Camarón, Mexico
Waterloo Station, now one of London's busiest railway terminals, officially opened to the public.
📍 London, England
The New England Asylum for the Blind, later known as Perkins School for the Blind, opened as the first school for blind students in the U.S.
📍 Boston, Massachusetts, USA
The United States Congress met for the first time in the partially completed Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
📍 Washington, D.C., USA
Edward V of England, one of the famous Princes in the Tower, was presumed murdered, a mystery that remains unsolved.
📍 London, England
Prince Henry the Navigator, key figure in early Portuguese exploration and maritime discoveries, died in Sagres.
📍 Sagres, Portugal