In Madera Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, leaving at least 43 deaths in the worst disaster on the history of the archipelago.

Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en-route to the national airforce headquarters were shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack.

Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the club ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.

American figure skater Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest gold-medalist at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Texas industrialist Ross Perot's U.S. presidential campaign begins after he opened up the possibility of running as an independent candidate while appearing on the talk show ''Larry King Live''.

A gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down in the Albanian capital Tirana, by mobs of angry protesters.

An IRA bomb destroys a section of a British Army barracks in Ternhill, England

Unabomber: In Salt Lake City, a bomb explodes in a computer store.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands.

Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.

Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in 4 hours, 55 minutes.

The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.

Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.

World War II: The "Big Week" began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers.

World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.

''The Saturday Evening Post'' publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's ''Four Freedoms'' in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.

American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.

The Parícutin volcano begins to form in Parícutin, Mexico.

Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace.

Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica.

The Congress of the United States proposes the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution that will end Prohibition in the United States.

The Congress of the United States approves the construction of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California.

King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.

Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro.

The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.

The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco, California.

In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens.

American Civil War: Battle of Olustee occurs – the largest battle fought in Florida during the war.

Concepción, Chile is destroyed by an earthquake.

Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta.

Andreas Hofer, Tirolean patriot and leader of rebellion against Napoleon's forces, is executed.

Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.

The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington.

Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.