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2018

Cannabis is legalized in South Africa, through a ruling of the Constitutional Court.

Cannabis is legalized in South Africa, through a ruling of the Constitutional Court.

2008

Thabo Mbeki resigns as president of South Africa.

Thabo Mbeki resigns as president of South Africa.

1842

The first edition of The Illustrated London News, the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine, was published

The first edition of The Illustrated London News, the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine, was published.

1916

World War I: First day on the Somme: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army…

World War I: First day on the Somme: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army are killed and 40,000 wounded.

1958

The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, becomes the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the…

The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, becomes the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the geographical North Pole.

1939

First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft.

First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft.

1927

Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N

Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, landing 33+1⁄2 hours later.

1973

A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the

A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist�

1962

The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens

The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.

2017

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from an engine issue in his first ent�

1917

The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E

The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pu�

1943

In Diamond, Missouri, the George Washington Carver National Monument becomes the first United States National Monument…

In Diamond, Missouri, the George Washington Carver National Monument becomes the first United States National Monument in honor of an African American.

1975

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost bl

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.

2002

Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North K

Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel.

1976

End of South Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam annexes the former South Vietnam to form the unified Socialist Republic…

End of South Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam annexes the former South Vietnam to form the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

1973

Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.

Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.

1809

Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to th

Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmüh�

1970

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt to cut off supplies to the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army.

1906

In Finland, a new electoral law is ratified, guaranteeing the country the first and equal right to vote in the world.…

In Finland, a new electoral law is ratified, guaranteeing the country the first and equal right to vote in the world. Finnish women are the first in Europe to receive the right to vote.

1940

World War II: Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué,…

World War II: Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.