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Asteroid 2008 TC3 impacts the Earth over Sudan, the first time an asteroid impact is detected prior to its entry into earth's atmosphere.
The governor of California, Gray Davis, is recalled in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Global War on Terrorism begins as a result of the September 11 attacks. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan initiates with an air assault and covert operations on the ground.
Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, is found tied to a fence after being savagely beaten by two young adults in Laramie, Wyoming.
The flood of '93 ends at St. Louis, Missouri, 103 days after it began, as the Mississippi River falls below flood stage.
Croatian War of Independence: Bombing of Banski dvori in Zagreb, Croatia.
An Iñupiat hunter discovers three gray whales trapped under the ice in Barrow, Alaska, US; the situation becomes a multinational effort to free the whales.
Sikh nationalists declares the independence of Khalistan from India; it is not internationally recognized.
The Mameyes landslide kills almost 200 people in Puerto Rico.
John F. Kennedy signs the ratification of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
U.S.S.R. probe Luna 3 transmits the first ever photographs of the far side of the Moon.
President of Pakistan Iskander Mirza, with the support of General Ayub Khan and the army, suspends the 1956 constitution, imposes martial law, and cancels the elections scheduled for January 1959.
World War II: During an uprising at Birkenau concentration camp, Jewish prisoners burn down Crematorium IV.
World War II: The October Matanikau action on Guadalcanal begins as United States Marine Corps forces attack Imperial Japanese Army units along the Matanikau River.
World War II: The McCollum memo proposes bringing the United States into the war in Europe by provoking the Japanese to attack the United States.
Photius II becomes Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Andreas Michalakopoulos becomes Prime Minister of Greece for a short period of time.
KLM, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, is founded. It is the oldest airline still operating under its original name.
The Regency Council of the Kingdom of Poland declares independence from the German Empire and forms the Republic of Poland.
Georgia Tech defeats Cumberland University 222-0 in the most lopsided college football game in American history.
Germany and Austria-Hungary sign the "Twofold Covenant" and create the Dual Alliance.
Franco-Prussian War: Siege of Paris: Léon Gambetta flees Paris in a hot-air balloon.
Cornell University holds opening day ceremonies; initial student enrollment is 412, the highest at any American university to that date.
American Civil War: Bahia incident: USS Wachusett illegally captures the CSS Florida Confederate raider while in port in Bahia, Brazil in violation of Brazilian neutrality.
Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) opens as the first hospital in the Colony of British Columbia
Morea expedition: The city of Patras, Greece, is liberated by the French expeditionary force in the Peloponnese under General Maison.
The Granite Railway begins operations as the first chartered railway in the U.S.
French corsair Robert Surcouf, commander of the 18-gun ship La Confiance, captures the British 38-gun Kent inspiring the traditional French song Le Trente-et-un du mois d'août.
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Kings Mountain: American Patriot militia defeat Loyalist irregulars led by British major Patrick Ferguson in South Carolina.
American Revolutionary War: The Americans defeat the British in the Second Battle of Saratoga, also known as the Battle of Bemis Heights.
King George III of the United Kingdom issues the Royal Proclamation of 1763, closing aboriginal lands in North America north and west of the Alleghenies to white settlements.
The English royal charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay is issued.
Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day is skipped in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
The Battle of Lepanto is fought, and the Ottoman Navy suffers its first defeat.
Explorer Cabrillo discovers Santa Catalina Island off of the California coast.
Battle of La Motta: Spanish troops under Ramón de Cardona defeat the Venetians.
Uppsala University is inaugurated after receiving its corporate rights from Pope Sixtus IV in February the same year.
French troops comprising 1,000 men at arms landed on Jersey and fought a battle against 3,000 defenders.
Battle of Modon: Genoese fleet under Jean Le Maingre (Marshal Boucicaut) is defeated by the Republic of Venice at Modon in the Peloponnese.
The epoch reference date epoch (origin) of the modern Hebrew calendar (Proleptic Julian calendar).
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