1291. Scottish nobles recognized the authority of Edward I of England.

1503. Christopher Columbus visited the Cayman Islands and names them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there.

1774. Louis XVI became King of France. He was executed during the French Revolution on January 21, 1793.

1801. The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declared war on the United States of America in what came to be known as the First Barbary War.

1824. The National Gallery in London opened to the public.

1857. In India, the first war of Independence began when Sepoys revolted against their commanding officers at Meerut.

1872. Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States.

1954. Bill Haley & His Comets released Rock Around the Clock, the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the charts.

1994. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president.

2005. A hand grenade allegedly thrown by Vladimir Arutinian landed about 20 metres from President George W. Bush while he was giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctioned and did not go off.