Athanasius returns to Alexandria.

Athanasius of AlexandriaAlexandria

Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.

Thomas (bishop of Finland)Bishop of FinlandForgery

James I of Scotland is assassinated.

James I of Scotland

The Prussian Confederation is formed.

Prussian Confederation

Battle of Wayna Daga - A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeats a Muslim army led by Ahmed Gragn.

Battle of Wayna DagaEthiopiaAhmed Gragn

Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.

Michael I of RussiaTsarZemsky SoborRomanov dynastyImperial Russia

A force of 1,400 French soldiers invaded Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists.

Battle of FishguardFishguardSociety of United Irishmen

The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.

Steam locomotivePenydarren Ironworks

Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (i.e. Finland) to Russia.

Finnish War

Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.

Cherokee PhoenixCherokee syllabarySequoyah

John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.

Sewing machine

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.

Karl MarxFriedrich EngelsThe Communist Manifesto

American Civil War: Battle of Valverde is fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory.

American Civil WarBattle of ValverdeFort CraigNew Mexico Territory

The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first edition.

Oakland Daily Tribune

The first telephone directory is issued in New Haven, Connecticut.

Telephone directoryNew Haven, Connecticut

The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.

Washington Monument

An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fought an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically took place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing.

Bob FitzsimmonsPeter Maher (boxer)1896 World Heavyweight ChampionshipBoxing

Ioannina is incorporated into the Greek state after the Balkan Wars.

IoanninaGreek stateBalkan Wars

World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins.

World War IBattle of Verdun

The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Carolina parakeetCincinnati Zoo

German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany.

Kurt EisnerAssassinationBavarian Soviet RepublicMunich

Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country's first constitution.

Constituent Assembly of GeorgiaDemocratic Republic of Georgia

Rezā Shāh takes control of Tehran during a successful coup

Rezā Shāh1921 Persian coup d'état

The New Yorker publishes its first issue.

The New Yorker

The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War.

League of NationsUnlawful combatantSpanish Civil War

World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga.

World War IIBattle of Iwo JimaKamikazeUSS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95)USS Saratoga (CV-3)

In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.

Edwin LandInstant cameraPolaroid Land CameraOptical Society of America

NASCAR is incorporated.

NASCAR

The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free".

Winston ChurchillIdentity document

The Bengali Language Movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Bengali Language MovementUniversity of DhakaEast PakistanBangladesh