Martin Luther refuses to recant at the Diet of Worms (1521), and Zimbabwe gains independence from the United Kingdom (1980). Born on this day: David Ricardo, Michael D. Higgins and Ahmed I. Died: Albert Einstein, Thor Heyerdahl and Justus, baron von Liebig.
31 events, 68 births and 67 deaths on this date.
Summoned before the Diet of Worms, Luther was asked to withdraw his writings and refused, even though it risked excommunication. His stand made him a central figure of the Protestant Reformation.
Lucas Cranach the Elder · Public domainAfter a long guerrilla war and years of rule by a white minority government, Zimbabwe became an independent nation on this day, ending its status as British-ruled Rhodesia. Robert Mugabe, who led the largest nationalist party, became its first prime minister.
Joan, the peasant girl who rallied French forces at Orléans and saw Charles VII crowned, was put on the road to sainthood. Her canonisation came later, in 1920, nearly five centuries after her death.
Clément de Fauquembergue · Public domain
Workers across Turin walked out in a large strike, defying harsh Nazi-fascist repression. It was a pre-insurrectional action that fed the wider resistance against occupation and the Salò regime in northern Italy.
Pope Julius II laid the foundation stone for the rebuilt basilica, which replaced the ageing fourth-century church on the same site. Work took another 120 years, finishing in 1626 under architects including Michelangelo and Bernini.
Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 4.0
The UN's principal judicial body opened for business in the Peace Palace, the only main UN organ not based in New York. Created under the UN Charter, it settles disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on points of international law.
International Court of Justice ; originally uploaded by Yeu Ninje at en.wikipedia . · Public domain
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A stockbroker's son who made a fortune in government bonds, Ricardo became a leading figure among the classical economists, known for his theory of rent and his case for free trade. He also sat in Parliament, where he campaigned against the Corn Laws.
Thomas Phillips · Public domain
Michael D. Higgins is an Irish poet, writer and former politician who was president of Ireland from 2011 to 2025. Earlier he was arts minister, and as president he focused on social equality, inclusion and reconciliation.
The Irish Labour Party · CC BY 2.0
Ahmed I became Ottoman sultan at thirteen and is remembered for ending the custom of executing brothers on accession. He also commissioned the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, still one of Turkey's best-known landmarks.
17th century artist · CC0
He is remembered for the theory of relativity, which reshaped how physicists understand space, time and gravity. His 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics recognised his work on the photoelectric effect, and he also made contributions to quantum theory.
Ferdinand Schmutzer / Adam Cuerden · Public domain
Norwegian adventurer who crossed the Pacific on the Kon-Tiki raft in 1947 to test whether ancient South Americans could have settled Polynesia. Most scientists rejected his theories, but his voyages made him one of the best-known explorers of his era.
uncredited · Public domain
The German chemist who turned university teaching into hands-on laboratory work, and founded much of organic chemistry. He also championed mineral fertilisers, arguing that the scarcest nutrient limits plant growth.
CC BY 4.0
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