Today:
1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus, the first ballet d’action (a ballet with a narrative), was performed for the first time in London.
1791 – The French Legislative Assembly declared that all church property in France was at the disposal of the nation, part of the French Revolution’s secularization efforts.
1797 – The Bank of England issued the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes, replacing gold currency due to economic strain from the French Revolutionary Wars.
1807 – The U.S. Congress passed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, banning the international slave trade effective January 1, 1808.
1836 – Texas declared its independence from Mexico, officially adopting the Texas Declaration of Independence during the Texas Revolution.
1855 – Alexander II became the Emperor of Russia following the death of his father, Nicholas I.
1877 – U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the disputed 1876 presidential election after the Compromise of 1877, effectively ending Reconstruction.
1933 – The original King Kong film premiered in New York City, becoming one of the most influential movies of all time.
1962 – Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, a record that still stands today.
2004 – NASA announced the discovery of water-bearing minerals on Mars, suggesting the planet once had liquid water and the potential to support life.