American author, poet
American actress, singer, dancer
English singer-songwriter, guitarist
English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, psychiatrist
American businessman, politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts
Chinese revolutionary, politician, 1st President of the Republic of China
English author
American engineer, inventor
American/Swiss violinist, conductor
American saxophonist, compose
A letter dated this day by Enea Silvio Piccolomini refers to the Bible printed a year before, which is the first recorded evidence of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed with movable type.
Dutch navigator Abel Tasman becomes the first European to sight New Zealand, viewing the northwest coast of the South Island.
Fearing foreign invasion, revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin moves the capital of Soviet Russia from Petrograd (formerly known as St. Petersburg) to Moscow.
Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi begins his famous 240-mile protest march against the British monopoly on salt, which becomes one of the most significant events during the Indian independence movement.
Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany annexes Austria, known as Anschluss, and begins its takeover of the country.
US President Harry S. Truman declares his foreign policy priorities, which include providing military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism in the region. This policy became known as the Truman Doctrine.
Indonesian military leader Suharto seizes power from President Sukarno and becomes the country's second president. Suharto's presidency, which lasts 31 years, is marred by human rights violations and the occupation of East Timor.
The Church of England takes a historic step by ordaining its first 33 female priests, breaking centuries of tradition that excluded women from the priesthood.