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1963

United States Attorney General Robert F

United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met with African American author James Baldwin in an unsuccessful attempt to improve race relations.

1998

White supremacists murdered James Byrd Jr

White supremacists murdered James Byrd Jr., an African American, by chaining him behind a pickup truck and dragging him along an asphalt road in Jasper, Texas.

1917

In New York City, the NAACP and church and community leaders organized a silent march of at least 8,000 people to…

In New York City, the NAACP and church and community leaders organized a silent march of at least 8,000 people to protest violence directed towards African Americans.

1965

U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other…

U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disfranchisement�

1704

John Campbell released the first issue of The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British

John Campbell released the first issue of The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British North America.

2025

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), making him the first pope born in the United Sta

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the O�

1643

First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garri

First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garrison under Lady Blanche Arundell

1974

India conducted its first nuclear test explosion at Pokhran, the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the fi

India conducted its first nuclear test explosion at Pokhran, the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

325

The First Council of Nicaea (depicted), the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Con

The First Council of Nicaea (depicted), the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Constantine the Great.

325

The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Constantine th

The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Constantine the Great.

1874

Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem was first performed in the San Marco church in Milan to commemorate the first anniversary of Al

Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem was first performed in the San Marco church in Milan to commemorate the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death.

1726

On the First Sunday after Trinity, J. S. Bach led the first performance of Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39 (page…

On the First Sunday after Trinity, J. S. Bach led the first performance of Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39 (page pictured), one of a few new cantatas written that year.

1963

Buddhist crisis: A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination was held outside the National Assembly of South Vietnam i

Buddhist crisis: A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination was held outside the National Assembly of South Vietnam in Saigon, the first open demonstration against President Ngô Đình Diệm.

2000

Following the killing of two English football fans by Galatasaray supporters in the previous month, British and Turkish

Following the killing of two English football fans by Galatasaray supporters in the previous month, British and Turkish hooligans rioted on the day of the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1910

Frenchman Louis Paulhan landed his biplane at Manchester, having departed from London the previous day, to win the world

Frenchman Louis Paulhan landed his biplane at Manchester, having departed from London the previous day, to win the world's first long-distance air race.

1945

World War II: The U

World War II: The U.S. Army liberated Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, and killed German prisoners of war.

1942

World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Cor

World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval action in which the participating ships never sighted or�

1907

Minas Geraes (pictured), the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensiv

Minas Geraes (pictured), the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensive South American naval arms race with Argentina and Chile.

1826

HMS Beagle (pictured) departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra d

HMS Beagle (pictured) departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of South America.

1919

Sir Harry Hands, the mayor of Cape Town, performed the first public observance of a two-minute silence in remembrance of

Sir Harry Hands, the mayor of Cape Town, performed the first public observance of a two-minute silence in remembrance of those killed in World War I.