563: Patriarch Eutychius presides over the grand re-opening of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, following the reconstruction of its dome after its collapse in the earthquake of 557.
1777: James Cook discovers the island of Kiritimati, today known as Christmas Island.
1818: English physicist James Prescott Joule is born. A pioneer of thermodynamics, his name is later given to the unit of energy.
1818: Franz Xaver Gruber composes the carol Silent Night (Stille Nacht). The song is first performed the following day and goes on to become one of the most enduring Christmas hymns worldwide.
1823: Lord Byron arrives in Messolonghi, where he will later die during the Greek War of Independence.
1865: The Ku Klux Klan is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, by former Confederate soldiers. It rapidly evolves from a secret fraternity into a paramilitary organisation opposing civil rights reforms for African Americans.
1881: Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez is born. A Nobel laureate and leading figure of literary modernism in Spain.
1893: Henry Ford builds and tests his first gasoline engine in the yard of his home.
1906: The first radio broadcast is transmitted, featuring poetry readings, a violin solo and a spoken address.
1913: The Federal Reserve is established in the United States under new federal legislation.
1922: American actress Ava Gardner is born
1951: Libya gains its independence.
1960: Mikis Theodorakis presents his musical setting of Axion Esti, based on the poem by Odysseas Elytis.
1971: Pop star Ricky Martin and Greek singer Giorgos Alkaios are born.
1980: Alexei Kosygin, former Prime Minister of the Soviet Union for 16 years, dies at the age of 76.
1980: Dozens of people report mysterious lights in the sky over Woodbridge, England. The unexplained incident becomes known as the “British Roswell”.
1982: French writer Louis Aragon, one of the most prominent figures of surrealism, dies.
1989: Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega seeks asylum in the Vatican embassy.
1991: The former Yugoslav republics of Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia formally apply for recognition by the European Economic Community.
1992: Slobodan Milošević wins the presidential elections in Serbia.
1993: Russia’s new constitution comes into force, establishing a strong presidential system.
1995: Sixteen charred bodies, including those of three children, are discovered in Grenoble, France. They are linked to the cult known as the Order of the Solar Temple.
2008: British playwright Harold Pinter dies.