- 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded for treason.
- 1725 – Peter the Great, emperor of Russia, dies.
- 1894 – Congress repeals the Enforcement Act which makes it easier for some states to disenfranchise Black voters.
- 1910 – The Boy Scouts are founded.
- 1915 – “The Birth of a Nation,” opens, glorifying the KKK.
- 1943 – Americans secure Guadalcanal.
- 1944 – Harry S. McAlphin becomes the first Black journalist accredited to attend White House press conferences.
- 1968 – Actor Gary Coleman is born.
- 1968 – Officers kill 3 Black students protesting segregation of a bowling alley.
- 1986 – Oprah Winfrey becomes the first Black woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show.
- 1990 – Surfer Bethany Hamilton is born.
- 2002 – The U.S. Winter Olympics open in Salt Lake City.
