141: BC Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne of the Han Dynasty in China and rules for 54 years

1522: Martin Luther begins preaching his “Invocavit Sermons” in the German city of Wittenberg, reminding citizens to trust God’s word rather than violence and thus helping bring to a close the revolutionary stage of the Reformation

1776: Adam Smith publishes the influential economics book “The Wealth of Nations”

1918: Russian Bolshevik Party becomes the Communist Party

1933: US Congress is called into special session by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, beginning its “100 days” in which it passes 77 laws

1961: Soviet flight Sputnik 9 carries and returns from orbit a dog named Chernushka (Blackie), frogs and a guinea pig

Source: Onthisday.com