1858-First vision of the Virgin Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes, France
1929-Vatican City, the world's smallest country, is made an enclave of Rome
1937-44-day sit-down strike at General Motors in Flint Mich ends
1945-Declaration of Liberated Europe signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin after the Yalta Conference
1958-China's first National People's Congress adopts the first edition of Hanyu Pinyin created by Zhou Youguang as the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese
1975-Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for leadership of the British Conservative Party
1990-Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years imprisonment in South Africa
2011-Egyptian Revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests (Arab Spring)
2013-Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation from Feb. 28, the first pope to resign since 1415