Today:
1141: Empress Matilda becomes the first female ruler of England, adopting the title Lady of the English.
1348: Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV founds Charles University in Prague, the first university in Central Europe.
1724: Johann Sebastian Bach premieres his St. John Passion at St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig.
1788: American pioneers establish Marietta, Ohio, as the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory.
1827: English chemist John Walker sells the first friction match, which he had invented the previous year.
1906: Mount Vesuvius erupts, causing significant devastation to the city of Naples and surrounding areas.
1933: The Cullen-Harrison Act takes effect in the United States, legalizing the sale of low-alcohol beer and wine before the full repeal of Prohibition.
1948: The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations to coordinate international health efforts.
1969: The publication of RFC 1 (Request for Comments) marks the symbolic birth of the internet.
2001: NASA launches the Mars Odyssey spacecraft to orbit Mars and hunt for evidence of past or present water and ice.