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1963 - Cold War
Cold War: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
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1888 - Bertha Benz Memorial Route
Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in the first long distance automobile trip, commemorated as the Bertha Benz Memorial Route since 2008.
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1620 - Mayflower
The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England, carrying would-be settlers, on its first attempt to reach North America; it is forced to dock in Dartmouth when its companion ship, the Speedwell, springs a leak.
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1946 - 1946 Dominican Republic earthquake
An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless.
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1783 - Tenmei eruption
Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.
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1578 - Battle of Alcácer Quibir
Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir: The Moroccans defeat the Portuguese but both the Moroccan king Abd al-Malik and the Portuguese king Sebastian die. Ahmad al-Mansur follows Abd al-Malik as sultan of Morocco while the death of Sebastian leads to a succession crisis in Portugal.
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1958 - USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, becomes the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the geographical North Pole.
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1949 - National Basketball Association
The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League finalize the merger that would create the National Basketball Association.
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1492 - Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain.
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1990 - Gulf War
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
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1776 - American Revolution
American Revolution: The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress takes place.
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1492 - Expulsion of Jews from Spain
The Jews are expelled from Spain: 40,000–200,000 leave. Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire, learning of this, dispatches the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to Ottoman lands, mainly to the cities of Thessaloniki (in modern-day Greece) and İzmir (in modern-day Turkey).