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HISTORY

1394

1517

1492 was the year “Columbus sailed the ocean blue” on the first of his four transatlantic voyages. But the year wasn’t all smooth sailing. Spain’s Catholic monarchs ended centuries of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula, eventually driving out 3 million Muslims. The Spanish also expelled close to 200,000 Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism. And in what was surely a marvel to medieval farmers, the first recorded meteorite slammed into an Alsatian wheat field.

1492

1656

1531

Legacy Unpublished

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History.com Editors

2005

Discover what happened on February 28 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

February 28

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October 31

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April 2

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April 8

The Cold War heated up in 1949 when the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb and Germany split into two separate nations—one aligned with the West, the other with the Soviets. To counteract the threat, the U.S. and European allies signed the NATO charter. In Asia, Communists declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China. George Orwell predicted scarier times ahead with his novel “1984,” and consumers saw the introduction of 45 r.p.m. records, Kraft singles and Lego plastic bricks.

1949

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September 17

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

Discover what happened on August 8 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

August 8

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January 5

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August 25

2013

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July 11

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March 31

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July 13

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Religion ‑ This Day In History

Council of Nicaea concludes

First Quaker colonists land at Boston

King Charles VI of France orders all Jews expelled from the kingdom

Buddhists celebrate birth of Gautama Buddha

Pope Pius XII excommunicates all communist Catholics

Mother Teresa becomes a saint

Spain announces it will expel all Jews

Pope Clement VII forbids King Henry VIII from remarrying

Brigham Young chosen to lead Mormon Church

Pope Benedict resigns

This Day in History Video: What Happened on April 2

This Day in History Video: What Happened on October 31