1512

The artwork painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was exhibited to the public for the first time.

1604

At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, was performed for the first time.

1688

Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange set out with a group of English Parliamentarians to seize the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland from King James II of England.

1755

Between 60,000 and 90,000 people died in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon due to a massive earthquake and tsunami.

1790

Irish author, Edmund Burke, published a political pamphlet titled “Reflections on the Revolution in France,” in which he predicted that the French Revolution would end in disaster.

1800

John Adams became the first President of the United States to live in the White House, then referred to as the Executive Mansion.

1848

The Boston Female Medical School, the first medical school for women, opened in Boston, Massachusetts.

1894

Nicholas II became the new and last Tsar of Russia after the death of his father, Alexander III.

1896

The first Library of Congress building in the United States opened to the public.

1918

The worst rapid transit accident in US history, the Malbone Street Wreck, occurred under the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, leaving at least 102 people dead.

1922

Mehmed VI, the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, abdicated.

1941

A picture of the moonrise over the New Mexico town of Hernandez was taken by American photographer, Ansel Adams, and would go on to be one of the most famous pictures in the history of photography.

1955

The Vietnam War began.

1968

The Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system was officially introduced. Its original ratings were G, M, R and X.

1993

The Maastricht Treaty took effect, establishing the European Union.