331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
1814 – Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to redraw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoléon the previous spring.
1891 – In California, Stanford University opens its doors.
1937 – The Japanese city Handa is founded in Aichi Prefecture.
1949 – The People's Republic of China is established and declared by Mao Zedong.
1964 – Japanese Shinkansen ("bullet trains") begin high-speed rail service from Tokyo to Osaka.
1979 – Pope John Paul II begins his first pastoral visit to the United States.
1992 – Cartoon Network begins broadcasting.
2013 – The U.S. federal government shuts down non-essential services after it is unable to pass a budget measure.