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1945

World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon

World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.

1945

World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, one of only two battles in that war in which American and German troops fought coo

World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, one of only two battles in that war in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.

1940

World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after

World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.

1494

On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaic

On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaica the property of the Spanish crown.

1945

World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops

World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.

1945

World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins

World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.

1942

World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese

World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.

1940

World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister N

World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later.

1915

World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,199 people, including 128 Americans

World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,199 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the Ger�

1864

The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co

The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.

1824

World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria

World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer's supervision.

1980

The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox

The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.

1945

World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect

World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect.

1942

World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three

World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.

1942

World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attackin

World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.

1941

World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby

World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.

2022

Russo-Ukrainian War: United States President Joe Biden signs the 2022 Lend-Lease Act into law, a rebooted World War II-e

Russo-Ukrainian War: United States President Joe Biden signs the 2022 Lend-Lease Act into law, a rebooted World War II-era policy expediting American equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European co�

1945

World War II: the Channel Islands are liberated from Nazi occupation

World War II: the Channel Islands are liberated from Nazi occupation.

1941

World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy

World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.

1918

World War I: Germany repels Britain's second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium

World War I: Germany repels Britain's second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium.