1493 - Christopher Columbus sets sail for Spain from Hispaniola, ending his first voyage to the New World.
1582 - Russia cedes Livonia & Estonia to Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, loses access to Baltic
1759 - British Museum opens in Montague House, London
1777 - People of New Connecticut (Vermont) declare independence from England
1895 - French fleet reaches Majunga, Madagascar
1934 - 8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die
1962 - The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
1992 - Bulgaria recognizes Macedonia
2005 - ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the moon.
