1788 - The first European settlement in Australia is established at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip, marking the beginning of modern Australia.
1842 - The United Kingdom and the United States sign the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, resolving a boundary dispute between the two countries and establishing the modern border between Maine and Canada.
1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States when she receives her MD degree from Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York.
1870 - The North German Confederation becomes the German Empire with William I as Emperor.
1900 - The British Labour Party is founded when delegates from socialist, social democratic, and co-operative organizations merge at a meeting in London.
1937 - Joe Louis of the United States becomes World Heavyweight Boxing Champion by defeating James J. Braddock at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1942 - During World War II, United States and British forces land in Casablanca, Morocco, initiating Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.
1954 - The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, launches from Groton, Connecticut, United States.
1962 - The Beatles return to their hometown of Liverpool for their first major English concert, marking a significant milestone in their rise to fame.
1965 - Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri dies of a heart attack in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, during a summit with Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan.
1973 - President Richard Nixon announces during a nationally televised address that he will halt all American bombing of Vietnam in preparation for negotiating peace.
1978 - An ice storm begins affecting areas from Texas to New Hampshire in the United States, becoming one of the costliest ice storms in United States history.
1984 - The Macintosh, Apple Computer's first personal computer featuring a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse, is introduced in California by Steve Jobs.
1998 - In his State of the Union address, United States President Bill Clinton states, "The era of big government is over," signaling a shift in American political discourse.
2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush delivers his "Axis of Evil" speech, identifying Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as countries that "could be arming to threaten the peace of the world."
2005 - Viktor Yushchenko, the pro-democracy opposition leader, is sworn in as president of Ukraine following the Orange Revolution, marking a historic democratic transition in the country.
2015 - The People's Liberation Army Navy of China conducts its first exercise with Russia's Pacific Fleet in the Sea of Japan, signaling closer maritime cooperation between the two countries.
2020 - Wuhan, China, imposes the first lockdown of a major city to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will spread globally in the following months.