1519
Exploration
Hernan Cortes Departs Cuba for Mexico
Hernan Cortes set sail from Cuba with 11 ships and 600 men to explore and conquer the mainland. His expedition would lead to the fall of the Aztec Empire within two years.
On This Day in History
1735
Culture
First Opera Performed in America
Flora, or Hob in the Well became the first opera performed in the American colonies, staged in the courtroom of Charleston, South Carolina.
1885
Culture
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Published
Mark Twain's 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' was published in the United States. Ernest Hemingway later said that all modern American literature comes from this one book.
1911
Invention
First Official Airmail Flight
Henri Pequet carried mail by airplane from Allahabad to Naini, India, covering a distance of about 6 miles. This was the world's first official airmail flight.
1930
Space
Pluto Discovered by Clyde Tombaugh
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Pluto was considered the ninth planet until being reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
1943
War & Conflict
White Rose Resistance Members Arrested
Hans and Sophie Scholl, members of the White Rose resistance group, were arrested for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets at the University of Munich. They were executed four days later.
1965
Politics
The Gambia Gains Independence
The Gambia gained independence from the United Kingdom, with Dawda Jawara as its first prime minister. It became one of the smallest nations in Africa.