634 – Muslim forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid capture Damascus, 1st major city of Eastern Roman Empire taken by the Rashidun Caliphate
1559 – Five Spanish ships sink in storm off Tampa, about 600 die
1854 – Henry Meyer patents sleeping rail car
1870 – Siege of Paris by Prussian forces begins (lasts until January 28, 1871)
1893 – New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all women the right to vote
1945 – Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) is sentenced to death in London
1995 – The Washington Post and The New York Times publish the Unabomber’s manifesto
1997 – Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria leaves 53 people dead