Today:
141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, ascends the throne of the Han dynasty in China, beginning a reign that would last 54 years.
1522 – Martin Luther preaches his “Invocavit Sermons” in Wittenberg, urging peace and patience during the early days of the Protestant Reformation.
1566 – David Rizzio, private secretary and close confidant of Mary, Queen of Scots, is murdered in Holyrood Palace by Scottish nobles led by Lord Darnley.
1796 – Napoleon Bonaparte marries Joséphine de Beauharnais, just days before leaving to lead the French army in the Italian campaign.
1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in United States v. The Amistad, deciding that the African captives who seized control of the ship Amistad had been illegally enslaved and were free.
1916 – Pancho Villa’s forces attack Columbus, New Mexico, leading to the United States’ Punitive Expedition into Mexico under General John J. Pershing.
1933 – The U.S. Congress passes the Emergency Banking Act in response to the Great Depression, providing support for the banking system and leading to the reopening of banks.
1959 – The Barbie doll is introduced by Mattel at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
1967 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, defects to the United States through the U.S. Embassy in India.
2011 – The Space Shuttle Discovery completes its final mission, landing at Kennedy Space Center after STS-133, marking the end of its 27-year career.