In 1898, Emile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing "J'accuse." In 1904, a fire in Baltimore, Md., destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in 30 hours. In 1940, Disney's second full-length...

In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1820, the first 86 African Americans sponsored by the American Colonization Society departed New York to start a...

In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal became the first European to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1690, the Massachusetts colony issued the first paper money in the Americas. In 1834,...

In 1649, King Charles I of England was beheaded. In 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted the first presidential assassination, when he tried to shoot Andrew Jackson outside the Capitol. In 1847,...

In 1564, the Council of Trent established an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. In 1837, Michigan was admitted as the 26th state in the Union. In 1861, Louisiana...

In 1649, King Charles I of England went on trial for treason and other "high crimes." In 1841, the English began occupation of Hong Kong. In 1887, the U.S. Senate allowed the U.S. Navy to lease...

In 1528, Gustav I was crowned king of Sweden. In 1908, a long-distance radio message was first sent from the Eiffel Tower. In 1915, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give...