Discover What Happened Today in History
British General Charles Cornwallis formally surrendered his army to a combined American and French force led by George Washington. This decisive victory effectively ended major military operations in the American Revolutionary War.
After a disastrous and fruitless five-week occupation, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered his Grande Armée to begin its retreat from Moscow. The harsh Russian winter and constant attacks decimated his forces, marking a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars.
Stock markets around the world crashed, beginning in Hong Kong and spreading to Europe and the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6%, its largest one-day percentage decline in history, causing global financial panic.
NASA launched the Lucy spacecraft on a 12-year mission to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. These asteroids are considered 'fossils' from the early solar system, and the mission aims to provide insights into planetary formation.
The trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein began in Baghdad for crimes against humanity, specifically the 1982 Dujail massacre. The highly publicized trial was a pivotal moment in post-invasion Iraq.