539 BC: The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon

1279: Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon

1492: Christopher Columbus’s expedition makes landfall on a Caribbean island he names San Salvador (likely Watling Island, Bahamas). The explorer believes he has reached East Asia (OS 21 Oct)

1864: War of the Triple Alliance begins with Brazilian troops under the command of Gen. João Propício Mena Barreto invading Uruguay

1900: The first modern submarine is commissioned by the U.S. Navy as the USS Holland, named for its designer John Philip Holland

1915: Ford Motor Company under Henry Ford manufactures its 1 millionth automobile at the River Rouge plant in Detroit

1999: The Day of Six Billion: the proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born

Source: Onthisday.com