1509: Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, beginning the rejuvenation of the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India

1609: Galileo Galilei presents his telescope to the Venetian Senate in Venice

1786: US Congress unanimously chooses the dollar as the monetary unit for the United States of America

1945: Soviet Union declares war on Japan during World War II and invades Manchuria the next day

1974: US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12 p.m. the next day

1988: Ceasefire between Iran and Iraq takes effect after eight years of war

Source: Onthisday.com