705 – John VII begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1260 – Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis, conquers Damascus
1896 – Battle of Adwa: 80,000 Ethiopians destroy 20,000 Italians in Ethopia, killing two generals and capturing General Matteo Albertone
1909 – 1st US university school of nursing established, University of Minnesota
1942 – Major League Baseball owners decide not to allow players in the military to play for their clubs when on furlough
1944 – U-358 sinks in Atlantic
1993 – New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is reinstated as general partner of the team; banned because of his relationship with convicted gambler Howie Spira
1995 – Jozef Oleksy succeeds Waldemar Pawlak on as premier of Poland
2000 – The Constitution of Finland is rewritten.
2009 – Steven Holcomb pilots USA-1 sled to victory in the 4-man competition at the World Bobsled Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg, NY; first American win in the event in 50 years