1469 - Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
1492 - Columbus sites "Isabela" (Fortune Island, Bahamas)
1872 - World's largest gold nugget (215 kg) found in New South Wales
1967 - Mariner 5 makes fly-by of Venus
2003 - Mother Teresa of Calcutta is beatified by Pope John Paul II.