240 BC: 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet

1856: The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia sign the Treaty of Paris ending the Crimean War

1867: Alaska Purchase: US buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 ($109 million in 2018), roughly 2 cents an acre

1870: 15th Amendment to the US constitution is adopted, guarantees right to vote regardless of race

1959: Dalai Lama flees China and is granted political asylum in India

1972: Northern Ireland’s Government and Parliament dissolved by the British Government and ‘direct rule’ from Westminster is introduced

Source: Onthisday.com