Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI. He became the 265th and reigning Pope.

An Air Philippines passenger jet crashed near Davao City, Philippines. 131 passengers died in the crash.

The German parliament, the Bundestag, was moved to Berlin after 50 years of being housed in Bonn.

The 'Alfred P. Murrah' federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, was bombed, resulting in the death of 168 people. The perpetrator Timothy James McVeigh was tried and executed in what has been the worst case of domestic terrorism the USA has ever seen.

The 50-day siege of the "Branch Davidian" building outside Waco, Texas, USA, ended when the building was consumed by fire. 81 people, including the group's leader, David Koresh, died from either the fire or the FBI's gunshots.

American actress, Kate Hudson, was born in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of famed actress Goldie Hawn.

The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ended as a total failure.

British actor, Tim Curry, was born in the town of Warrington, England. He became famous after his role in the hit comedy-horror movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in 1975.

Philippine politician, Joseph Estrada, was born in Manila. He stared in over 100 movies produced in the Philippines, before entering the political arena in the late 60's. He served as president of the Philippines between 1998 and 2000. He was the first Philippine President to be impeached when charges of corruption plagued his administration.

American actress, Jayne Mansfield, was born in Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress and sex symbol of the 50's. She died in car accident in 1967.

A huge fire destroyed a large part of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In accordance with the terms of the 'Treaty of London', Belgium was established as a kingdom.

The Battle of Lexington and Concord took place. The battle marked the start of the American war of independence and was sparked when British forces attempted to confiscate the firearms of American colonists.

The trial of Bridget Bishop began in Salem, Massachusetts. She was accused of practicing witchcraft and was the first person to be executed as the result of the witch hunt trials that occurred in Salem.