1664

The Dutch surrender New Amsterdam to the British, who rename it New York.

1900

Galveston, Texas, is struck by a hurricane that kills about 6,000 people.

1926

Germany is admitted to League of Nations. The league was formed to foster international co-operation and world peace.

1934

Fire aboard luxury liner Morro Castle off New Jersey coast in the United States takes 134 lives.

1939

US President Franklin D Roosevelt declares a "limited national emergency" due to the outbreak of war in Europe.

1941

The Germans begin an 872-day siege of Leningrad, now St Petersburg, Russia.

1943

Allied Commander Dwight D Eisenhower announces Italy's unconditional surrender in World War II. The Germans take over Rome and northern Italy.

1951

A peace treaty with Japan is signed by 48 other nations in San Francisco.

1952

American writer, Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea is published.

1974

US President Gerald Ford grants an unconditional pardon to former President Richard Nixon.

1979

Three armed Lebanese surrender to Iranian authorities in Tehran after hijacking an Italian airliner the day before. The hijackers released 175 passengers in Rome and the remaining 35 in Teheran.

1991

Macedonians vote to become the third of six Yugoslav republics to choose independence.

1992

Nelson Mandela calls for the removal of the homeland ruler whose troops killed 24 protesters, sparking a major confrontation between black and white leaders in South Africa.

1994

British, French and American troops pull out of Berlin, leaving the city without foreign soldiers for the first time since World War II.

1996

Okinawa residents vote more than 10-to-1 in favour of a referendum to reduce US military bases on the Japanese island.

2008

A landslide at an illegal mining operation in northern China kills at least 260 people. — AP/VNS