From landmark decisions that reshaped societies and historic battles that defined a century, to cultural milestones, political turning points and the birth and passing of influential figures, this day brings together moments that left a lasting imprint on global history.
1865: Slavery is abolished in the United States with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
1878: Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, known as Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, is born.
1879: Swiss painter Paul Klee is born.
1901: The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Sweden. Among the laureates are German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen for the discovery of X-rays, French poet Sully Prudhomme for literature, and Henry Dunant for founding the Red Cross.
1916: The Battle of Verdun ends. It is the longest battle of the First World War, lasting ten months, with devastating losses: 543,000 French and 434,000 German soldiers killed.
1917: The US Senate approves Prohibition.
1919: Germany nationalises electricity.
1929: Britain introduces a 7.5-hour working day for coal miners.
1940: Adolf Hitler signs a secret decree launching preparations for the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, later known as Operation Barbarossa.
1943: Keith Richards, member of the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones, is born.
1944: The first issue of the French newspaper Le Monde is published.
1946: Acclaimed American film director Steven Spielberg is born.
1965: American actor Brad Pitt is born.
1966: Tenor Mario Frangoulis is born.
1969: The death penalty is abolished in Britain.
1980: American singer Christina Aguilera is born.
1989: The reconstructed Patriarchal Residence in Phanar is inaugurated, following a donation by Panagiotis Angelopoulos.
1991: President Bush rejects the state distribution of condoms and syringes to combat AIDS, saying the United States cannot abandon its values.
1993: Official permission is granted for the reopening of the Kozloduy nuclear reactor in Bulgaria.
1996: The European Court of Human Rights rules in favour of Titina Loizidou in her case against Turkey, which had denied her free access to her privately owned land in occupied Kyrenia.
2005: Evo Morales is elected President of Bolivia, becoming the first indigenous person to hold the office.
2006: Renowned cartoonist Joseph Barbella dies.
2010: Mass protests against the government erupt in Tunisia, marking the beginning of a wider regional upheaval.
2010: Actress Tasso Kavadia dies.
2011: Czech politician Václav Havel dies. He was the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic.
2014: Italian actress Virna Lisi dies.