1027-Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor, founding the Salian dynasty
1812-Earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people
1871-Municipal elections bring revolutionaries to power in Paris who form the short lived Paris Commune government
1909-Russian military forces invade northern Persia to support Mohammad Ali Shah's coup d'état against the constitutional government in Persia and relieve the siege of Tabriz
1942-First 'Eichmann transport' to Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps
1953-Dr. Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine to prevent polio, clinical trials begin the following year
1966-Large-scale anti-Vietnam War protests take place in the United States, including in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago
1971-Bangladesh (East Pakistan) under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declares independence from Pakistan