Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all 90 people on-board.

Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb through gravitational microlensing, the first cool rocky/icy extrasolar planet around a main-sequence star.

A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258.

Opportunity rover (MER-B) lands on surface of Mars.

Wikipedia switches to the new version of its software ("Phase II"), aka Magnus Manske Day.

A 50-year-old Douglas DC-3 crashes near Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela killing 24.

A 6.0 Richter scale earthquake hits western Colombia killing at least 1,000.

A suicide attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka's Temple of the Tooth kills 8 people and injures 25 others.

During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands the release of political prisoners and political reforms while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.

Billy Bailey became the last person to be hanged in the United States of America.

The Norwegian Rocket Incident: Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.

The Clementine space probe launches.

Five people are shot outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia resulting in two murders.

The Burns' Day storm hits northwestern Europe.

The National Resistance Movement topples the government of Tito Okello in Uganda.

Jiang Qing, the widow of Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death.

Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state.

Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president.

Charles Manson and three female "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders.

Brazilian Army captain Carlos Lamarca deserts in order to fight against the military dictatorship, taking with him 10 machine guns and 63 rifles.

In Washington, D.C. John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.

The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the Payola scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accept money for playing particular records.

The Soviet Union ends state of war with Germany.

At the Hollywood Athletic Club the first Emmy Awards are presented.

The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor.

World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.

World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.

Pope Pius XII elevates the Apostolic Vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands to the dignity of a diocese. It becomes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.

''The Guiding Light'' debuts on NBC radio from Chicago. In 1952 it moves to CBS television, where it remains until Sept. 18, 2009.

The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps), inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.

The League of Nations is founded.

The Ukraine declares independence from Bolshevik Russia.

Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.

Richard Strauss' opera ''Elektra'' receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.

Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.

Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.

The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.

The ''Wedding March'' by Felix Mendelssohn becomes a popular wedding recessional after it is played on this day at the marriage of Queen Victoria's daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia.

The London Corresponding Society is founded.

The British Parliament passes the Constitutional Act of 1791 and splits the old province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada.

American Daniel Shays leads a rebellion to seize Federal arsenal to protest debtor's prisons.

Moscow University is established on Tatiana Day.

Luanda, the capital of Angola was founded by the Portuguese navigator Paulo Dias de Novais.

Battle of Mikatagahara, in Japan; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Founding of São Paulo city, Brazil.

Henry VIII of England secretly marries his second wife Anne Boleyn.

Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.

Edward III becomes King of England.

After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate.