In 2001 A massive earth quake struck India and parts of Pakistan. The death toll in Gujarat in western India rose to 250,000 with a million people left homeless.

In 1962 the U.S. Ranger 3 spacecraft launched with the mission to send images of the moon back to NASA before crashing into the Moon. Due to malfunction Ranger 3 missed the moon and entered a heliocentric orbit (orbiting the Sun).

In 1950 India becomes a republic with a public holiday declared in celebration. This comes after almost a hundred years of British rule of the country. Control of India was transferred from Britain to the Indian people in August 1947 but this day is the start of their own constitution, the change of their head of state from Queen Elizabeth II to President Dr Rajendra Prasad as well as the first use of India’s Flag.

In 1926 John Logie Baird, the Scottish engineer, first demonstrates the television to 50 scientists in an attic in London, England. 

In 1666 while England was at war with the Dutch, King Louis XIV of France declared war on the English. Although the French had no real interest in siding with the Dutch nor did they really get involved in the conflict.

In 1340 Edward III of England proclaimed himself King of France, further antagonising King Philip VI of France and further igniting the conflict of the ‘Hundred Years War’. Conflict between the Kingdoms began when King Edward III refused to pay homage to King Philip VI (as was his right since the Norman conquest of England in 1066) leading the French king confiscating Edwards lands in France. Edward’s mother was the brother of the previous king of France (King Charles IV of France) where as Philip was a cousin of the former French King. This meant that Edward was closest male relative to the throne but only through a female line of descent (matrilineal) but this was not recognised. This claim did give strength to his campaign against King Philip VI, a war which ran from 1337 to 1453.