1. 2008

    Invasion of Anjouan began as Comoros and African Union forces launched an assault to remove Mohamed Bacar from power in Anjouan.

  2. 2006

    A gunman in Seattle, Washington, U.S., entered a rave afterparty and opened fire, killing six and wounding two, before committing suicide.

  3. 2006

    Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the presidential vote days earlier, were arrested, including opposition leader Alyaksandr Kazulin.

  4. 1995

    American computer programmer Ward Cunningham established the first wiki site, the WikiWikiWeb.

  5. 1975

    King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid.

  6. 1949

    The Soviet Union began mass deportations of more than 90,000 "undesirable" people from the Baltic states to Siberia.

  7. 1948

    Meteorologists at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, United States, issued the world's first tornado forecast after noticing conditions similar to another tornado that had struck five days earlier.

  8. 1934

    Enrico Fermi published his discovery of neutron-induced radioactivity, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

  9. 1917

    Following the overthrow of the Russian tsar Nicholas II, Georgia's bishops unilaterally restored the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

  10. 1917

    World War I: A delayed action bomb left by German troops exploded in the town hall of Bapaume, France, killing 24 soldiers and civilians.

  11. 1915

    The appointment of Mehmed Reshid as governor of Diyarbekir, Turkey, intensified the genocide of Syriac Christians by pro-Ottoman forces.

  12. 1911

    The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed 146 sweatshop workers, many of whom could not escape because the doors to the stairwells and exits had been locked.

  13. 1903

    The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (ship pictured) anchored in the South Orkney Islands with the intention of establishing the first weather station in Antarctic territory.

  14. 1807

    The Slave Trade Act, which abolished the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire, received royal assent.

  15. 1799

    War of the Second Coalition: In their second battle in seven days, the French Army of the Danube and Habsburg forces battled for control of the Hegau region.

  16. 1776

    American Revolutionary War: American Patriot forces in Georgia conducted a raid on Tybee Island, with the primary goal of capturing runaway slaves seeking refuge with the British.

  17. 1725

    Bach's chorale cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern was first performed on the Feast of the Annunciation, which coincided that year with Palm Sunday.

  18. 1708

    Jacobite risings: A French fleet anchored near Fife Ness as part of a planned French invasion of Britain.

  19. 1655

    Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the largest natural satellite of Saturn.

  20. 1458

    Wars of the Roses: A formal reconciliation ceremony between the Lancastrians and Yorkists led to a brief period of peace.

  21. 1410

    The Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty launched the first of his military campaigns against the Mongols, resulting in the fall of the Mongol khan Bunyashiri.

  22. 717

    Byzantine emperor Theodosius III abdicated in favour of Leo the Isaurian after he captured Theodosius's son.

  23. 708

    Constantine was selected as one of the last popes of the Byzantine Papacy.

Photo archive

24 historic images from this day — tap to open the gallery.

What was life like?

Prices, jobs, food, music and everyday routine — the world as it felt to live in.

Sources & fact check

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