1508 – Maximilian I proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, 1st Emperor in centuries not to be crowned by the Pope
1778 – France recognizes USA, signs Treaty of Alliance in Paris, 1st US treaty
1819 – Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port
1840 – The Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups.
1952 – Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand
1989 – Solidarity union leader Lech Wałęsa begins negotiating with Polish government
1995 – Rapper Tupac Shakur convicted on sexual assault charge and sentenced to up to 4 1/2 years in prison
2012 – 6.9 magnitude quake hits near the central Philippines with 43 confirmed deaths
2012 – Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of becoming British monarch, becoming only the second to do so
2018 – Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy, world’s most powerful rocket
2018 – UN calls for ceasefire in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area by Syrian government troops after 40 people reportedly killed
2019 – US President Donald Trump makes presidential State of Union address to Congress a week later than usual due to government shutdown
2019 – Honeybees are able to add and subtract and understand concept of zero according to research from RMIT University in Australia
2020 – US astronaut Christina Koch completes the longest continuous spaceflight by a female astronaut after 328 days on the International Space Station, landing in Kazakhstan
2020 – Antarctica records high temperature of 64.9 F / 18.2 C at Esperanza, Argentina’s research station
2020 – Date of the 1st COVID-19 related death in the US (confirmed by the CDC April 21)
Film & TV:
1921 – “The Kid”, silent film starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan, released
Music:
1965 – Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” hits #1
2003 – 50 Cent releases his album “Get Rich or Die Trying’” (2003 Billboard Album of the Year)
Sport:
2018 – Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals world record number of victories for a jockey – 12,844 in Rio de Janeiro
