1260: Qutuz, Mamluk Sultans of Egypt (1259-60), is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself

1648: Treaty of Westphalia ends The Thirty Years’ War in the Holy Roman Empire; Switzerland’s independence recognized

1929: “Black Thursday”, start of stock market crash, Dow Jones down 12.8%

1962: Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet ships approach but stop short of the US blockade of Cuba

2008: “Bloody Friday” saw many of the world’s stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.

Source: Onthisday.com