English trumpet player, composer
German pilot, engineer
Brazilian race car driver
Swedish botanist, physician, zoologist
American boxer
Norwegian poet, playwright, director
South Korean politician, 16th President of South Korea
American soldier
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
American businessman, philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company
In Prague, two Catholic Lords Regent and their secretary were thrown out of a window by Protestant rebels. Despite the incredible 70-foot fall, they miraculously survived, but the incident marked the beginning of the Thirty Years' War between Catholics and Protestants in Europe.
American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin announced his invention of bifocals, which allow people to see both near and far objects without changing glasses.
South American independence leader Simón Bolívar entered Mérida with his troops, launching the invasion of Venezuela. He was proclaimed El Libertador ("The Liberator") for his role in freeing several countries in South America from Spanish rule.
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází, known as the Báb, founded the religion of Bábism in Persia. The religion was a precursor to the Bahá'í Faith and was heavily persecuted by the Islamic clergy and Persian government.
The Chinese government forced the Tibetan delegates of the Dalai Lama to sign the Seventeen Point Agreement, which affirmed Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. The document was considered invalid by Tibetan officials due to the use of duress.
Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong initiated the "Great Leap Forward" campaign, which aimed to rapidly industrialize and modernize China's economy. The campaign led to widespread famine and economic disaster.
British rock band The Who released their fourth album, "Tommy," which is considered the first rock opera. The album tells the story of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who becomes a pinball wizard and gains a cult following.
Italian judge Giovanni Falcone, who was a prominent adversary of the mafia, was killed in a car bombing along with his wife and three bodyguards. The event made Falcone a folk hero in Italy for his efforts to combat organized crime.
The Good Friday Agreement, a peace agreement aimed at resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics, was accepted in a referendum with 75% of the population voting in favor.
The Federal Republic of Germany, also known as West Germany, was established after the end of World War II and the fall of the Nazi regime. The country was formed from the American, British, and French occupation zones and adopted the Grundgesetz as its constitution.