1926: First liquid-fueled rocket

The first man to give reality to dreams of reaching the stars is American Robert H. Goddard, who successfully launches the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts, on March 16, 1926. At a speed of about 60 mph, the rocket traveled a 184-foot trajectory in 2.5 seconds. The rocket was about 10 feet tall, and made up of a series of thin pipes. Although Goddard's rockets failed to garner the type of attention enjoyed by the famous aviators of his day, the historic significance of his work is staggering in retrospect.
1521Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches Philippine Islands.
1534England severs all relations with Roman Catholic papacy.
1690France's King Louis XIV sends troops to Ireland to fight for King James II.
1812Austria, in alliance with France, agrees to provide an army for Napoleon Bonaparte.
1872The first English FA Cup takes place at The Oval in London.
1888The first recorded sale of a manufactured motor car. Emile Roger of Paris buys a petrol driven Benz .
1917Russia's Tsar Nicholas II abdicates and Prince George Lvov, Paul Milivkov and
1922Britain recognises the Kingdom of Egypt under Faud I, with joint Anglo-Egyptian sovereignty over Sudan.
1926The first liquid-fuelled rocket is demonstrated in the USA by Dr Robert H Goddard.
1935Germany repudiates disarmament clauses of Versailles Treaty signed at the end of World War I.
1945World War II: US Marines bring an end to Japanese resistance on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima.
1971British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper announces his retirement after his controversial defeat by title challenger Joe Bugner.
1973Queen Elizabeth II opens the new London Bridge - the old one having been sold to an American oil tycoon for £1m and transported to the United States.
1992South African President F.W De Klerk makes final plea to whites to end apartheid.
1994Russia agrees to phase out production of weapons-grade plutonium.
1998Sir George Martin, producer of The Beatles in the 1960s/1970s announces his retirement, aged 73.
1787German physicist Georg Simon Ohm.
1751James Madison US President.
1925Jerry Lewis, U.S comedian.
1951Canadian-born actress Kate Nelligan.
1998Baby doctor Benjamin Spock, aged 94.