Year 1340 » King Edward III of England is declared King of France.
Year 1500 » Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.
Year 1531 » Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an 1531 Lisbon earthquake called earthquake—thousands die.
Year 1564 » The Council of Trent issues its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Year 1564 » The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.
Year 1565 » Battle of Talikota, fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last Hindu kingdom in India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the Indian subco
Year 1589 » Patriarch Job of Moscow named Job is elected as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Year 1700 » The Richter magnitude scale e.g magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake takes place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
Year 1736 » Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
Year 1788 » The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson or Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day
Year 1808 » Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia.
Year 1837 » Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
Year 1838 » Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States
Year 1841 » The United Kingdom formally occupies Hong Kong, which China later formally cession or cedes.
Year 1855 » Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
Year 1856 » First Battle of Seattle (1856) Battle of Seattle. Marines from the USS Decatur 1839 6 drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.
Year 1861 » American Civil War: The state of Louisiana History of Louisiana Secession and the Civil War (1860–1865) known as secedes from the Union.
Year 1863 » American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg known as Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.
Year 1863 » American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from United States Secretary of War called Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
Year 1870 » American Civil War: Virginia History of Virginia Reconstruction named rejoins the Union.
Year 1885 » Troops loyal to Muhammad Ahmad called The Mahdi conquer Siege of Khartoum named Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.
Year 1907 » The Lee-Enfield called Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the second oldest military rifle still in official use.
Year 1911 » Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.
Year 1915 » The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
Year 1920 » Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
Year 1924 » Saint Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.
Year 1930 » The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Purna Swaraj named Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later.
Year 1934 » The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
Year 1934 » German–Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.
Year 1939 » Spanish Civil War Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Kingdom of Italy named Italy take Barcelona.
Year 1942 » World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.
Year 1945 » World War II: Audie Murphy in action that will later win him the Medal of Honor.
Year 1945 » World War II: The Red Army Heiligenbeil Pocket begins encircling the 4th Army (Wehrmacht) German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil Pocket Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.
Year 1949 » The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees First light (astronomy) or first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
Year 1950 » The Constitution of India coming into force or comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first President of India. Observed as Republic Day (India) called Republic Day in India.
Year 1958 » Japanese ferry 'Nankai Maru' capsizes off southern Awaji Island, Japan, 167 killed.
Year 1960 » Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia)
Year 1961 » John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds the appointment of Physician to the President.
Year 1962 » Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
Year 1965 » Hindi becomes the official language of India.
Year 1966 » The Beaumont children disappearance e.g Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg, South Australia named Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.
Year 1978 » The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare blizzard named severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US until October 2010 North American storm complex called October 2010, strikes the Ohio Great Lakes region with heavy
Year 1980 » Israel and Egypt establish diplomacy or diplomatic relations.
Year 1986 » The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
Year 1991 » Siad Barre called Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi Muhammad called Ali Mahdi.
Year 1992 » Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
Year 1998 » Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "Lewinsky scandal known as sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Year 2001 » An earthquake hits 2001 Gujarat earthquake e.g Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths.
Year 2004 » President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution of Afghanistan.
Year 2004 » A exploding whale or whale explodes in the town of Tainan City or Tainan, Taiwan. A build-up of gas in the decomposing sperm whale is suspected of causing the explosion.
Year 2005 » Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
Year 2009 » Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a 2009 Malagasy political crisis or political crisis that will result in the replacement of List of Presidents of Madagascar or President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.