Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.

Judas MaccabeusMattathiasHasmonean familyTemple in JerusalemHanukkah

Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope. During the persecutions of emperor Maximinus Thrax he is martyred.

Pope AnterusPope PontianPopeMaximinus ThraxMartyr

Lý Công Uẩn is enthroned as emperor of Đại Cồ Việt, founding the Lý dynasty.

Lý Công UẩnĐại Cồ ViệtLý dynasty

Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive.

TimurTimur's invasions of GeorgiaKingdom of GeorgiaTbilisiBagrat V of Georgia

Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.)

Plymouth ColonyList of Mayflower passengersMayflower CompactNovember 11Old Style and New Style dates

The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light.

AstronomerOle RømerRømer's determination of the speed of lightMeasurementSpeed of light

In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.

Jean-François Pilâtre de RozierFrançois Laurent d'ArlandesHot air balloon

North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.

North CarolinaUnited States ConstitutionU.S. state

Wabash College is founded in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Wabash CollegeCrawfordsville, Indiana

American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin Secretary of War.

American Civil WarConfederate States of AmericaJefferson DavisJudah Benjamin

Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.

Thomas EdisonPhonograph

Port Arthur, China falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants.

Port Arthur, ChinaBattle of LushunkouFirst Sino-Japanese WarPort Arthur massacre (China)

The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeated the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39-0, in the first ever professional American football night game.

Philadelphia Athletics (NFL)Kanaweola Athletic ClubElmira, New YorkAmerican footballNight game

Albert Einstein's paper that leads to the mass-energy equivalence formula, E = mc², is published in the journal Annalen der Physik.

Albert EinsteinMass-energy equivalence

Sailors on board Brazil's warships including the Minas Geraes, São Paulo, and Bahia, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash).

Brazilian battleship Minas GeraesBrazilian battleship São PauloBrazilian cruiser BahiaRevolt of the Lash

Mines from SM U-73 sink the HMHS Britannic, the largest ship lost in the First World War.

SM U-73HMHS BritannicWorld War I

The Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as the national flag of the Republic of Estonia.

Flag of EstoniaRepublic of Estonia

A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles.

Lwów pogrom (1918)Lviv

Irish War of Independence: In Dublin, 31 people are killed in what became known as "Bloody Sunday".

Irish War of IndependenceDublinBloody Sunday (1920)

Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator.

Rebecca Latimer FeltonGeorgia (U.S. state)United States Senate

Columbine Mine massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of state police dressed in civilian clothes.

Columbine Mine massacreStrike actionMachine gun

The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by general vehicles until 1943).

Alaska Highway

The United Auto Workers strike 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30-percent raise.

United Auto Workers

Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash; the death toll is 21, with 17 of them Canadian troops bound for Korea.

Canadian National RailwayBritish ColumbiaCanoe River train crash

The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.

Natural History Museum, LondonPiltdown ManHuman skull

American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC-AM radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal.

Alan FreedRock and rollWABC (AM)Payola

The "La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, first revolving restaurant in the United States.

La Ronde (restaurant)HonoluluRevolving restaurantUnited States

The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War.

People's Liberation ArmyCeasefireSino-Indian War

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opens to traffic. At the time it is the world's longest bridge span.

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes.

Second Vatican CouncilRoman Catholic ChurchEcumenical council