President Park Geun-hye of South Korea is impeached by the country's National Assembly in response to a major political scandal.
Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is arrested by federal officials for crimes including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-116 carrying the P5 truss segment of the International Space Station.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other).
Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Air Force executes an airdrop of Indian Army units, bypassing Pakistani defences.
Douglas Engelbart gave what became known as "The Mother of All Demos", publicly debuting the computer mouse, hypertext, and the bit-mapped graphical user interface using the oN-Line System (NLS).
The first episode of Coronation Street, the world's longest-running television soap opera, is broadcast in the United Kingdom.
The Constituent Assembly of India meets for the first time to write the Constitution of India.
World War II: China, Cuba, Guatemala, and the Philippine Commonwealth declare war on Germany and Japan.
World War II: Operation Compass: British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt.
Gabriel Narutowicz is elected the first president of Poland.
World War I: Field Marshal Allenby captures Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire.
World War I: The Kingdom of Romania signs the Armistice of Focșani with the Central Powers.
In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first African American governor of a U.S. state following the impeachment of Henry C. Warmoth.
The first traffic lights are installed, outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.
The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal.
Texas Revolution: The Texian Army captures San Antonio following the Siege of Béxar.
Patriot forces led by General Antonio José de Sucre defeat a Royalist army in the Battle of Ayacucho, putting an end to the Peruvian War of Independence.
American Revolutionary War: British troops and Loyalists, misinformed about Patriot militia strength, lose the Battle of Great Bridge, ending British rule in Virginia.