842 – Charles II and Louis the German sign treaty
1747 – Astronomer James Bradley presents his discovery of the wobbling motion of the Earth on its axis to the Royal Society, London
1797 – The Battle of Cape St Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeats larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Captain Horatio Nelson distinguishes himself.
1942 – Japanese parachutists land near oil center Palembang, Sumatra
1966 – Russian writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Joey Daniel found guilty under the offense of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda for publishing their satirical writings abroad
1967 – Latin American nuclear free zone proposal drawn up
1985 – Hostage CNN reporter Jeremy Levin is released in Beirut
1993 – 35th Daytona 500: Dale Jarrett wins (154.972 MPH)
1993 – Fire in Linxi department store in Tangshan China, kills 79
2014 – Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigns after less than a year in office