In 1634, the first meeting of the future French Academy took place at the Paris residence of Valentin Conrart, laying the foundation for France’s premier linguistic institution.
In 1778, France informed Great Britain of its treaty with America, four days after which Britain declared war.
In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis approved a bill allowing enslaved people to enlist as soldiers in the final weeks of the American Civil War.
In 1877, American inventor Chester Greenwood patented earmuffs, which he first developed at the age of 15.
In 1905, Mata Hari performed her iconic dance at the Guimet Museum in Paris.
In 1928, Rudolf Friml’s musical The Three Musketeers premiered in New York City.
In 1938 the World News Roundup premiered on CBS Radio, becoming the leading news broadcast in the United States.
In 1943, an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler while travelling from Smolensk to Rastenburg failed.
Cuba’s deepest war broke out in 1957, when the student-led Revolutionary Directorate unsuccessfully attacked Havana’s presidential palace in an attempt to overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista.
In 1961, Floyd Patterson retained the world heavyweight title in Miami Beach, defeating Ingemar Johansson by knockout in the sixth round after two knockdowns in the first round.
In 1969, Apollo 9 successfully returned to Earth, completing its mission to test lunar module operations in space.
In the Centenary Test in 1977, Dennis Lillee took 6 wickets for 26 runs, due to which England were bowled out for 95 runs.
In 1979, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders recorded his fifth career NHL hat-trick.
In 1980, American speed skater Eric Heiden set a world record in the 1000 m event with a time of 1:13.60.
In 1996, Sri Lanka defeated India in the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup after play was stopped due to a crowd riot.
