Declaration of Arbroath in Arbroath Abbey
- 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
- 1652 – Dutch explorer Jan van Riebeeck establishes a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope, which would eventually lead to the colonization of South Africa.
- 1830 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is founded by Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York.
Panathenaic Stadium athletics events Athens 1896 Olympic
- 1896 – The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece, after a hiatus of nearly 1,500 years.
- 1917 – The United States declares war on Germany and enters World War I.
- 1965 – The first commercial communications satellite, Early Bird, is launched into orbit by NASA.
- 1994 – The genocide in Rwanda begins, with Hutu extremists launching attacks on Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
- 2008 – The 2008 Egyptian general strike takes place, with workers in various industries across Egypt staging protests and strikes in response to rising food prices and low wages.