Today:
1507 – German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller published a world map that named “America” for the first time, honoring explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
1644 – The last Ming Dynasty emperor of China, Chongzhen, committed suicide by hanging himself during a peasant rebellion in Beijing.
1792 – Nicolas Pelletier became the first person executed by guillotine in France.
1859 – Groundbreaking began for the Suez Canal in Egypt.
1898 – The United States declared war on Spain, starting the Spanish-American War.
1915 – During World War I, the Battle of Gallipoli began as Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in an attempt to open a new front.
1945 – Delegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco to begin the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
1953 – Francis Crick and James Watson’s article describing the double helix structure of DNA was published in the journal Nature.
1974 – Portugal’s Carnation Revolution began, leading to the overthrow of the Estado Novo regime.
2005 – Bulgaria and Romania signed accession treaties to join the European Union in 2007.