45 BC: The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time

630: Prophet Muhammad sets out with an army 10,000 strong to conquer Mecca

1758: The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establish the “starting point” for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature by Carolus Linnaeus 10th edition of Systema Naturae

1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in US confederate states

1892: Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station – it would go on to be the gateway to the US for more than 12 million people

1896: German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays

1958: European Economic Community, better known as the European Common Market starts operation