331 BC: Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela

1688: Prince William of Orange accepts invitation to take up the British crown

1814: The Congress of Vienna opens to redraw Europe’s political map after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte

1867: Karl Marx publishes “Das Kapital” in Berlin, describing the capitalist system, its instability, and its tendency toward self-destruction

1908: Henry Ford introduces the Ford Model T car, priced at $825

1918: A combined Arab and British force, including Lawrence of Arabia, captures Damascus from the Ottoman Empire during World War I

1988: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, effectively head of state of the Soviet Union

Source: Onthisday.com