Today:
1582: Pope Gregory XIII issued the papal bull Inter gravissimas, which introduced the Gregorian calendar to correct the errors of the Julian calendar.
1607: Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, one of the first works recognized as an opera, received its premiere performance in Mantua.
1803: The United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Marbury v. Madison, establishing the principle of judicial review.
1836: During the siege of the Alamo, Colonel William Barret Travis wrote his famous “Victory or Death” letter appealing for reinforcements.
1848: King Louis-Philippe of France abdicated the throne following the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1848.
1863: The Arizona Territory was officially organized as a United States territory after being split from the New Mexico Territory.
1868: The U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson, the first time a U.S. president was impeached.
1920: The Nazi Party (NSDAP) was founded at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, where Adolf Hitler outlined the party’s 25-point program.
1981: Buckingham Palace officially announced the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
2022: Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, marking a major escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War.