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Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers attempting to defuse a hostile incident.
Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.
Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
The 1996 Mount Everest disaster: on a single day eight people die during summit attempts on Mount Everest.
After the aircraft's departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades killing all 110 on board.
More than 170 countries extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions.
Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
Bradford City stadium fire: Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in a flash fire at Valley Parade football ground during a match against Lincoln City in Bradford, England.
Citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg's charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times are dismissed.
The United States performs a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site, which was part of the series Operation Grommet and Operation Toggle.
The Lubbock tornado, a F5 tornado, hits Lubbock, Texas, killing 26 and causing $250 million in damage.
Racist bombings in Birmingham, Alabama disrupt nonviolence in the Birmingham campaign and precipitate a crisis involving federal troops.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, four Israeli Mossad agents capture fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann who is living under the alias of Ricardo Klement.
The 1953 Waco tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado hits downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114.
Siam officially changes its name to Thailand for the second time. The name had been in use since 1939 but was reverted in 1945.
World War II: Off the coast of Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill is hit by two kamikazes, killing 346 of its crew. Although badly damaged, the ship is able to return to the U.S. under its own power.
World War II: The Allies begin a major offensive against the Axis powers on the Gustav Line.
World War II: American troops invade Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces.
William Faulkner's collections of short stories, Go Down, Moses, is published.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded.
The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus is officially established.
An act of the U.S. Congress establishes Glacier National Park in Montana.
Pullman Strike: Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike in Illinois.
The Ōtsu incident: Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Imperial Russia (later Nicholas II) suffers a critical head injury during a sword attack by Japanese policeman Tsuda Sanzō. He is rescued by Prince George of Greece and Denmark.
An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor.
Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California.
American Civil War: The ironclad CSS Virginia is scuttled in the James River northwest of Norfolk, Virginia.
Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British.
President James K. Polk asked for a Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican-American War. It is approved on May 13.
The Aberdeen-built brig Lady of the Lake struck an iceberg and sank off the coast of Newfoundland with the loss of up to 265 passengers and crew.
In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth lead an expedition to cross the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Their route opens up inland Australia for continued expansion throughout the 19th century.
Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London.
Captain Robert Gray becomes the first documented white person to sail into the Columbia River.
War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy: French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army.
Franco-Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.
Peter Stuyvesant arrives in New Amsterdam to replace Willem Kieft as Director-General of New Netherland, the Dutch colonial settlement in present-day New York City.
Christopher Columbus departs Cádiz on his fourth and final voyage to the Americas.
In France, fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake as heretics.
Alexander becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
A copy of the Diamond Sutra is printed in China, making it the oldest known dated printed book.
Byzantium is renamed Nova Roma during a dedication ceremony, but it is more popularly referred to as Constantinople.
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