Discover What Happened Today in History
Tsar Peter the Great founded the city of Saint Petersburg after conquering the Neva River's mouth from Sweden. He intended it to be Russia's 'window to the West' and a modern capital, which it later became for over two centuries.
The iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened to pedestrian traffic, with vehicles following the next day. It was the longest suspension bridge span in the world at the time and a marvel of modern engineering.
The German battleship Bismarck, one of the most powerful warships afloat, was sunk by the British Royal Navy in the North Atlantic. This ended a dramatic week-long chase and eliminated a major threat to Allied shipping.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was finalized, establishing the first permanent international court to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It entered into force in 2002.
A major 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Yogyakarta in central Java, Indonesia. It killed over 5,700 people, injured tens of thousands, and left hundreds of thousands homeless, making it one of the deadliest disasters in Indonesia's history.