1811: British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies. Stamford Raffles is appointed lieutenant-governor.

1812: Great Fire of Moscow burns out after five days, destroys 75% of the city and kills 12,000 people

1873: Government bond agent Jay Cooke & Co collapses, causing panic on Wall Street and the start of the Panic of

1873: and the Long Depression

1914: Irish Home Rule Bill receives Royal Assent

1931: Mukden Incident: To create a pretext for the invasion of Chinese Manchuria, Japanese forces detonate a small quantity of dynamite near a railway line owned by Japan’s South Manchuria Railway

1947: Central Intelligence Agency officially comes into existence after being established by President Truman in July

1976: Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong’s funeral takes place in Beijing, China

Source: Onthisday.com