On this day in 1502, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer in the service of Spain, set out from Cadiz, Spain on his fourth and final voyage. During his voyages, he determined that the earth is round and is thought to be one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas.
On this day in 1877, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Peru killing 2,541, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan as a result of tsunamis.
On this day in 1926, American explorers Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett became the first people to fly over the North Pole. They flew nonstop for 15 hours and 30 minutes.
On this day in 2001, in Ghana, 129 football fans died in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths were caused by a stampede after police fired teargas into the crowd after a controversial decision by the referee.