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1914

World War I: The Royal Navy defeats the German fleet in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.

World War I: The Royal Navy defeats the German fleet in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.

1955

Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the

Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of�

1981

Dr

Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery.

1960

The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid

The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid, making Enovid the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill.

2010

David Cameron takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form the c

David Cameron takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form the country's first coalition government since the Second World War.

1993

Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum

Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police open fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and in�

1937

Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean and disappear while attempting to…

Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean and disappear while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight.

1807

Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the…

Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.

1956

The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the…

The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the world's first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on an indust�

1947

Bernard Baruch first applies the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet U

Bernard Baruch first applies the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.

1912

Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel

Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.

1853

The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane

The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane.

73

Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War

Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War.

1457 BC

Battle of Megiddo – the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail

Battle of Megiddo – the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.

2014

NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another sta

NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

2003

Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland

Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland.

1951

The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park

The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.

1080

Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized

Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.

1980

The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President

The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.

1980

The town of Elmore City, Oklahoma holds its first dance in the town's history

The town of Elmore City, Oklahoma holds its first dance in the town's history.