1999: Millennium Wheel edges upwards
Thousands gather to watch the giant Ferris wheel become the latest landmark on the London skyline.

1982: Mary Rose rises after 437 years
The Mary Rose, flagship of King Henry VIII, rises to the surface after 437 years at the bottom of the Solent.

Amid great fanfare, Chilean workers are rescued 69 days after their mine collapsed in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Battle of Hastings
At the Battle of Hastings, fought this day in 1066, King Harold II of England was defeated by the invading army of William, duke of Normandy, in the Norman Conquest, establishing Normans as rulers of England.

Final conference on Antarctic Treaty
On this day in 1959 a final conference on the Antarctic Treaty convened in Washington, D.C., and, after six weeks of negotiations, the treaty was signed by 12 countries, preserving the continent for free scientific study.

Marie-Antoinette guillotined
After the French Revolution began, Marie-Antoinette, queen consort of Louis XVI, was targeted by agitators who, enraged by her extravagance and attempts to save the monarchy, ultimately guillotined her on this day in 1793.

Mother Teresa awarded Nobel Prize
On this day in 1979, Mother Teresa, founder of a Roman Catholic order of women dedicated to the poor and particularly to the destitute of India, was named the recipient of that year's Nobel Prize for Peace.

Alaska Purchase approved
After much opposition, a deal negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State William Seward for the U.S. purchase of the Russian colony of Alaska was approved, and on this day in 1867 the U.S. flag was flown over the capital, Sitka.

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
On this day in 1781, Britain's Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, handing a huge victory to American Gen. George Washington and effectively ending the American Revolution and assuring America's independence.

Opening of Sydney Opera House
Australia's Sydney Opera House—designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, whose dynamic, imaginative, but problematic plan won an international competition in 1957—was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on this day in 1973.

Magellan's discovery of gateway to circumnavigating the globe
On this day in 1520, explorer Ferdinand Magellan and three Spanish ships entered the strait later named for him, sailing between the mainland tip of South America and the island of Tierra del Fuego toward the Pacific Ocean.

Cuban missile crisis
On this day in 1962, President John F. Kennedy alerted Americans to the Cuban missile crisis, declaring a naval blockade to prevent further missile shipments to the island country 90 miles (145 km) off the coast of the U.S.

2001 Apple introduced the iPod, a portable media player that became one of the most successful and revolutionary products of the early 2000s.

1945 United Nations established
The charter for the United Nations—the world's premier international organization, established at the end of World War II to maintain world peace and friendly relations among nations—entered into force this day in 1945.

English triumph at Agincourt
On this day in 1415, the English army, led by Henry V, scored a decisive victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War, paving the way for further English conquests and successes.