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

1517: copy of Martin Luther’s 95 theses, the publication of which began the Protestant Reformation in EuropeThe Protestant Reformation

1522: Martin Luther begins preaching his “Invocavit Sermons” in the German city of Wittenberg, reminding citizens to trust God’s word rather than violence, 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 is renamed the All-Russian Communist Party

1933: US Congress is called into a special session by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, beginning its “100 days” during 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