Today:
30 BC – Mark Antony died in Alexandria after being defeated by Octavian, bringing the final war of the Roman Republic to a close.
1291 – The Federal Charter of 1291 was established by the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, traditionally marking the founding of Switzerland.
1498 – Christopher Columbus became the first known European to set foot on the South American mainland, landing on the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela during his third voyage.
1774 – Joseph Priestley isolated oxygen for the first time through his experiments with mercuric oxide, although the gas would not be fully understood until later.
1834 – The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 took effect throughout most of the British Empire, freeing more than 800,000 enslaved people.
1914 – Germany declared war on Russia, dramatically escalating World War I.
1944 – The Warsaw Uprising began as the Polish Home Army launched a major effort to liberate Warsaw from German occupation during World War II.
1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officially began operations to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and help prevent nuclear weapons proliferation.
1981 – MTV launched in the United States, revolutionizing the music industry with its music video format. The first video aired was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.
2007 – The Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis killed 13 people and injured 145 when the bridge suddenly failed during rush hour.