1703 - Great storm of 1703 hits Southern England (NS 7 Dec) - thousands killed, Royal Navy losses 13 ships and around 1,500 seamen
1778 - Captain Cook discovers Maui in the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii)
1793 - Republican calendar replaces Gregorian calendar in France
1842 - The University of Notre Dame is founded.
1861 - West Virginia created as a result of dispute over slavery with Virginia
1885 - 1st meteor photograph
1922 - English archaeologist Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun's virtually intact tomb in Egypt
