Today:
49 BC: Julius Caesar and his army cross the Rubicon river, an act of defiance that sparked the Roman Civil War and led to the end of the Roman Republic.
1776: Thomas Paine publishes his influential pamphlet Common Sense, which presented a powerful argument for American independence from British rule.
1861: Florida becomes the third state to secede from the Union in the lead-up to the American Civil War.
1863: The world’s first underground railway, the London Underground, begins operations on the Metropolitan line between Paddington and Farringdon.
1870: John D. Rockefeller incorporates the Standard Oil Company in Ohio, which would eventually grow into one of the largest monopolies in history.
1901: The Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas, produces a massive gusher, marking the beginning of the modern American oil industry.
1920: The League of Nations is formally established as the Treaty of Versailles takes effect, officially ending World War I for most signatory nations.
1946: The first General Assembly of the United Nations opens in London with representatives from 51 nations in attendance.
1984: The United States and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.
2016: English musician, actor, and cultural icon David Bowie dies at the age of 69, two days after the release of his final album.