The United States Supreme Court upholds a federal law banning cannabis, including medical marijuana, in ''Gonzales v. Raich''.

Tamil is established as a Classical language by the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament.

Eastern Mediterranean Event. A near-Earth asteroid estimated at 10 metres diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya. The resulting explosion is estimated to have a force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.

In Australian Rules Football, Tony Lockett breaks the record for career goals, previously 1299 by Gordon Coventry and which had stood since 1937.

Mongolia holds its first direct presidential elections.

U.S. District court judge Jose Alejandro Gonzalez, Jr. rules that the rap album ''As Nasty As They Wanna Be'' by 2 Live Crew violates Florida's obscenity law; he declares that the predominant subject matter of the record is "directed to the 'dirty' thoughts and the loins, not to the intellect and the mind."

The grave of "Wolfgang Gerhard" is exhumed in Embu, Brazil; the remains found are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death". Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February, 1979.

The Indian Army attacks the Golden Temple in Amritsar following an order from Indira Gandhi. Official casualties are 576 combatants killed and 335 wounded; independent observers estimate that thousands of unarmed Sikh civilians are also killed in the crossfire. A total death count adds up to almost 6,000.

1982 Lebanon War begins: Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon in their "Operation Peace for the Galilee", eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.

Bihar train disaster A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed.

A new Instrument of Government is promulgated making Sweden a parliamentary monarchy.

A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet fighter near Duarte, California claims 50 lives.

Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Khanh between Australian and Vietnamese communist forces begins.

Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 launches.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy dies from his wounds after he was shot the previous night.

Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws his record 58th consecutive scoreless inning, a major league record until 1988.

James Meredith, civil rights activist, is shot while trying to march across Mississippi.

Under a temporary order, the rocket launches at Cuxhaven, Germany, are terminated, though they never resume.

Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with Argentina.

The Basketball Association of America is formed in New York City.

Alaska Airlines commences operations.

World War II: Battle of Normandy begins. D-Day, code named ''Operation Overlord'', commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.

World War II: Battle of Midway. U.S. Navy dive bombers sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four Japanese carriers.

Judge Joseph Force Crater is declared legally dead.

German dictator Adolf Hitler gives a public address to returning German volunteers who fought as Legion Kondor during the Spanish Civil War.

New Deal: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Act of 1933 into law, establishing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey, United States.

The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon (1/4 ¢/L) sold.

The Chrysler Corporation is founded by Walter Percy Chrysler.

The Southwark Bridge in London, is opened for traffic by King George V and Queen Mary.

The Republic of Prekmurje ends.

World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood

The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

Paris Métro Line 5 is inaugurated with a first section from Place d'Italie to the Gare d'Orléans (today known as Gare d'Austerlitz).

Governor Davis H. Waite orders the Colorado state militia to protect and support the miners engaged in the Cripple Creek miners' strike.

Chicago El begins operation

The Great Seattle Fire destroys the entirety of downtown Seattle, Washington.

The Shewan forces of Menelik defeat the Gojjame army in the Battle of Embabo. The Shewans capture Negus Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and heir victory leads to a Shewan hegemony over the territories south of the Abay River.

More than 100,000 inhabitants of Bombay are killed as a cyclone in the Arabian Sea pushes huge waves into the harbour.

American Civil War: Battle of Memphis

Australia: Queensland is established as a separate colony from New South Wales (Queensland Day).

Sophia of Nassau marries the future King Oscar II of Sweden-Norway.

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.

U.S. President Andrew Jackson becomes the first President to ride on a train.

The June Rebellion of Paris is put down by the National Guard.

War of 1812: Battle of Stoney Creek

Sweden promulgates a new Constitution, which restores political power to the Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of Enlightened absolutism.

Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte is crowned King of Spain.

A devastating fire destroys one-third of Moscow, including 18,000 homes.

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university museum.

Shivaji, founder of the Maratha empire is coronated.

Charles X succeeds his abdicated cousin Queen Christina to the Swedish throne.

The Qing Dynasty Manchu forces led by the Shunzhi Emperor capture Beijing during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. The Manchus would rule China until 1912 when the Republic of China is established.

Gustav Vasa is elected King of Sweden, marking the end of the Kalmar Union.

Italian Wars: Battle of Novara. Swiss troops defeat the French under Louis de la Tremoille, forcing the French to abandon Milan. Duke Massimiliano Sforza is restored.