Francesco Petrarca, known as Petrarch, ascends Mont Ventoux in France, an event often considered symbolic of the Renaissance's humanist spirit.

William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He would become one of the most influential playwrights and poets in the English language.

Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L'Aigle, France, convincing European scientists that meteors exist.

Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Union General William T. Sherman near Durham, North Carolina, effectively ending the American Civil War.

The Gestapo, the official secret police of Nazi Germany, is established by Hermann Göring.

The bombing of Guernica occurs during the Spanish Civil War, carried out by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties.

The Ranger 4 spacecraft, launched by NASA, crashes into the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body.

Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.

The Chernobyl disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union, resulting in a catastrophic nuclear accident.

The first multi-racial elections began in South Africa, marking the end of apartheid and leading to Nelson Mandela's election as president.

Syria withdrew the last of its military forces from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence in the country. This withdrawal was a result of international pressure following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, continued to unfold as efforts to contain the spill were underway. The spill began on April 20, 2010, following an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

The leaders of North and South Korea, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, met at the inter-Korean summit in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This historic meeting marked the first time a North Korean leader had crossed into South Korean territory since the Korean War, and it aimed to discuss denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.