Today:
1704 – The first regular newspaper in the United States, The Boston News-Letter, was published.
1800 – The U.S. Library of Congress was established when President John Adams signed a bill providing for a reference library for Congress.
1877 – Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).
1898 – Spain declared war on the United States, beginning the Spanish-American War.
1915 – The Armenian Genocide began as Ottoman authorities arrested and later executed hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and leaders in Constantinople.
1916 – The Easter Rising began in Dublin, Ireland, as Irish republicans launched an armed insurrection against British rule.
1953 – Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
1990 – The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery.
1993 – An IRA bomb exploded in Bishopsgate, London, causing extensive damage and one death.
2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was inaugurated as Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City.