1009 - First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
1459 – Was born Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian sailor
1500 - Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas.
1934 – Was born Jiri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut.
1957 - A magnitude 8.3 earthquake in the Andreanof Islands, Alaska triggers a Pacific-wide tsunami causing extensive damage to Hawaii and Oahu.
1961 - The Soviet Union successfully launches, carrying a human dummy nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich, and demonstrating that Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.
1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day.
2011 - Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights.
2012 - Polish mountaineers Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb make the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I.
