Today:
1002 – English King Æthelred II ordered the massacre of all Danes in England, known as the St. Brice’s Day massacre.
1093 – Saint Margaret of Scotland, wife of King Malcolm III, passed away, later canonized as a saint.
1642 – First known European sighting of New Zealand by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman.
1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot revolutionary forces launched an attack on Quebec City.
1841 – James Braid first saw a demonstration of animal magnetism, leading to his study and development of hypnotism.
1887 – Bloody Sunday occurred in London: police violently broke up a march of the unemployed.
1927 – The Holland Tunnel opened, connecting New York City and Jersey City, New Jersey.
1940 – Walt Disney’s animated movie “Fantasia” premiered in New York City.
1956 – The Supreme Court of the United States declared Alabama laws requiring segregated buses illegal.
1985 – The Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in Colombia, causing a massive mudslide and killing around 23,000 people in the town of Armero.