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1994

Republic of South Africa becomes a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations

Republic of South Africa becomes a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.

1964

Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa

Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa.

1976

Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police

Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.

1913

Natives Land Act, 1913 in South Africa implemented

Natives Land Act, 1913 in South Africa implemented.

1946

The United Kingdom's BBC returns to broadcasting its television service, which has been off air for seven years because

The United Kingdom's BBC returns to broadcasting its television service, which has been off air for seven years because of World War II.

1927

Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N

Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, landing 33+1⁄2 hours later.

1842

The first edition of The Illustrated London News, the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine, was published

The first edition of The Illustrated London News, the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine, was published.

1962

The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens

The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.

2017

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from an engine issue in his first ent�

1917

The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E

The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pu�

1975

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost bl

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.

1970

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt to cut off supplies to the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army.

1809

Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to th

Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmüh�

1945

World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters

World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.

1944

World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate

World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate.

1992

The Katina P is deliberately run aground off Maputo, Mozambique, and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean

The Katina P is deliberately run aground off Maputo, Mozambique, and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.

1998

Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53

Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.

1966

Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people

Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people.

1829

Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan Ri

Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the British Empire.

1781

American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique

American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.