1098day.year
A First Crusade army led by Bohemond of Taranto wins a major battle against the Seljuq emir Ridwan of Aleppo during the siege of Antioch
Bohemond of Taranto leads Crusaders to victory over Ridwan of Aleppo during the siege of Antioch.
In 1098, Bohemond of Taranto commanded the Crusader army in a decisive battle against the Seljuq forces of Emir Ridwan of Aleppo.
This engagement was a turning point during the protracted Siege of Antioch, one of the most challenging campaigns of the First Crusade.
Utilizing siege towers and coordinated assaults, the Crusaders breached the city's defenses and routed the defenders.
The victory secured a strategic stronghold on the eastern Mediterranean and boosted Crusader morale.
Bohemond's leadership during the siege elevated his reputation and later led to the foundation of the Principality of Antioch.
1098
First Crusade
Bohemond of Taranto
major battle
Seljuq
Ridwan of Aleppo
siege of Antioch
1654day.year
The Capture of Fort Rocher takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
English forces capture Fort Rocher from the Spanish during the Anglo-Spanish War.
On February 9, 1654, English troops seized Fort Rocher (later Fort-de-France) on Martinique from the Spanish in the midst of the Anglo-Spanish War.
The operation was part of Oliver Cromwell's larger campaign to weaken Spanish holdings in the Caribbean.
A combination of naval bombardments and amphibious landings overcame the fort's defenses.
Control of the fort bolstered English influence in the Lesser Antilles and disrupted Spanish trade routes.
The capture exemplified the global scope of 17th-century European conflicts.
1654
Capture of Fort Rocher
Anglo-Spanish War
1775day.year
American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion during the American Revolutionary War.
On this day in 1775, the British Parliament formally declared the colony of Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion.
This declaration followed the battles of Lexington and Concord and signaled a hardening of British policy toward the colonies.
It authorized measures to suppress the uprising, including closing Boston port and mobilizing loyalist forces.
American patriots used the decree to rally support for independence across the Thirteen Colonies.
The proclamation marked a point of no return that propelled the conflict toward full-scale revolution.
1775
American Revolutionary War
British Parliament
Massachusetts
1822day.year
Haiti attacks the newly established Dominican Republic on the other side of the island of Hispaniola.
Haiti attacks the newly established Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola.
On this day in 1822, forces from Haiti launched a military incursion across the border into the newly declared Dominican Republic.
Following the Dominican declaration of independence from Spain in 1821, Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer sought to unify the island under Haitian rule.
Haitian troops met limited resistance and occupied Santo Domingo, extending Haitian governance until 1844.
The occupation influenced the subsequent national identities and political developments of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
This conflict underscored the complex post-colonial landscape in the Caribbean.
1822
Haiti
attacks
Dominican Republic
Hispaniola
1861day.year
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Provisional Confederate Congress at Montgomery, Alabama
Jefferson Davis is elected Provisional President of the Confederate States by the Provisional Congress in Montgomery, Alabama.
Amid rising tensions and secession of Southern states, the Provisional Confederate Congress convened in Montgomery, Alabama, on February 9, 1861. Delegates elected former U.S. Senator and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis as the Provisional President. Davis presided over the drafting of the Confederate Constitution and the formation of a new government. His leadership solidified the political framework of the Confederacy on the eve of the American Civil War. The election underscored the deep sectional divide over slavery and states’ rights. Davis would lead the Confederacy throughout the four-year conflict.
1861
American Civil War
Jefferson Davis
Provisional President
Confederate States of America
Provisional Confederate Congress
Montgomery, Alabama
1904day.year
Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur concludes.
The Battle of Port Arthur ends as Japanese forces secure the strategic naval base.
The siege and naval engagements at Port Arthur ended on February 9, 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese forces subjected the fortified harbor to intense bombardment, disrupting Russian defenses. The fall of Port Arthur gave Japan control of a key warm-water port and dealt a severe blow to Russian naval power in the Pacific. This victory demonstrated Japan’s modern military capabilities and shifted the regional balance. The outcome boosted Japanese morale and international prestige while exposing weaknesses in the Russian Empire. It set the stage for further battles that would shape early 20th-century geopolitics.
1904
Russo-Japanese War
Battle of Port Arthur
1929day.year
Members of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng assassinate the labor recruiter Bazin, prompting a crackdown by French colonial authorities.
On February 9, 1929, Vietnamese Nationalist Party members assassinated labor recruiter Bazin, triggering a harsh French colonial response.
On February 9, 1929, militants from the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng carried out a targeted assassination of French labor recruiter Bazin. Bazin had been organizing Vietnamese labor for colonial projects, making him a symbol of imperial exploitation. The daring operation highlighted growing nationalist sentiment and frustration with economic and political oppression. In retaliation, French authorities launched widespread arrests and intensified security measures across Indochina. This crackdown deepened the divide between colonial rulers and Vietnamese nationalists, fueling further resistance. The event is remembered as an early flashpoint in the long struggle for Vietnam’s independence.
1929
Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng
assassinate the labor recruiter Bazin
French colonial authorities
1941day.year
World War II: Bombing of Genoa: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb which fails to detonate.
During a World War II raid on February 9, 1941, a bomb struck Genoa’s Cathedral of San Lorenzo but did not explode, sparing the historic structure.
On February 9, 1941, Allied bombers targeted the Italian port city of Genoa in a series of raids intended to disrupt Axis supply lines. One of the bombs hit the medieval Cathedral of San Lorenzo yet miraculously failed to detonate, leaving the centuries-old architecture intact. The near miss became a symbol of hope for Genoa’s residents amid the destruction of war. Despite extensive damage elsewhere in the city, the cathedral’s survival preserved invaluable art and relics housed within. In the aftermath, restoration crews worked to repair superficial damage, while the undetonated bomb was carefully dismantled. The incident remains a poignant reminder of cultural heritage at risk during armed conflict.
1941
World War II
Bombing of Genoa
Cathedral of San Lorenzo
Genoa
1943day.year
World War II: Pacific War: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure on February 9, 1943, as Japanese troops completed their evacuation, ending the pivotal battle.
The Battle of Guadalcanal, which began in August 1942, marked the first major Allied offensive against Japan in the Pacific. On February 9, 1943, remaining Japanese forces completed a clandestine evacuation by sea under heavy bombardment. Securing Guadalcanal denied Japan a strategic base and protected Allied supply routes between the U.S. and Australia. The campaign tested amphibious warfare tactics, jungle combat conditions, and logistical coordination over vast distances. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the successful defense bolstered Allied morale and shifted momentum in the Pacific theater. The victory at Guadalcanal is often cited as a turning point that paved the way for further Allied advances toward Japan.
1943
Pacific War
Allied
Guadalcanal
Imperial Japan
Battle of Guadalcanal
1945day.year
World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.
On February 9, 1945, HMS Venturer achieved the only recorded submerged submarine-on-submarine kill by sinking the German U-864 off Norway.
During a secret patrol in the North Sea, HMS Venturer detected the German U-864’s diesel engine sounds and tracked its submerged movements. Lieutenant Jimmy Launders calculated a remarkable four-dimensional firing solution to intercept the U-boat’s course. Venturer launched four torpedoes at staggered intervals, scoring a direct hit that sent U-864 to the seabed near Fedje, Norway. This engagement remains the sole documented case of one submerged submarine sinking another while both were underwater. The feat demonstrated advances in sonar tactics and torpedo firing techniques. Decades later, the U-864 wreck was found leaking mercury, raising environmental concerns and spotlighting the enduring legacy of this unique naval encounter.
1945
Battle of the Atlantic
HMS Venturer
sinks
U-864
Fedje
1945day.year
World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attack a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
Allied aircraft attempted to attack and sink a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway, but the mission failed to inflict damage. The raid exemplified the Allies' efforts to disrupt Axis naval movements.
On February 9, 1945, during World War II, a force of Allied aircraft launched a surprise strike on a German destroyer anchored in the remote fjord of Førdefjorden in occupied Norway. Despite favorable conditions and the element of surprise, bombs fell short or were evaded by the destroyer's crew, leaving the vessel largely unscathed. The raid was part of a broader Allied campaign to interdict German naval operations along the Norwegian coastline. The rugged terrain and challenging weather conditions complicated precise targeting, highlighting the limits of aerial assaults in such environments. Although the operation did not achieve its primary goal, it underscored the Allies' determination to neutralize Axis maritime threats. The unsuccessful strike remains a testament to the strategic importance and inherent difficulties of naval interdiction missions in the late stages of the war.
Allied
unsuccessfully attack
German
Førdefjorden
1951day.year
Korean War: The two-day Geochang massacre begins as a battalion of the 11th Division of the South Korean Army kills 719 unarmed citizens in Geochang, in the South Gyeongsang district of South Korea.
During the Korean War, South Korean troops massacred hundreds of unarmed civilians in Geochang, marking one of the war's darkest atrocities.
On February 9, 1951, in the midst of the Korean War, a battalion of the South Korean 11th Division began a two-day operation in the rural villages of Geochang. Soldiers rounded up residents on suspicion of aiding communist guerrillas and executed 719 men, women, and children. The massacre was carried out under the fog of war and remained largely suppressed by wartime censorship. Families of the victims were forbidden from speaking out, and the full extent of the atrocity did not surface until years later. The Geochang massacre highlighted the brutal counterinsurgency tactics employed and the tragic cost of wartime paranoia. Today, it serves as a somber reminder of human rights violations committed during the conflict.
1951
Korean War
Geochang massacre
South Korean Army
Geochang
South Gyeongsang
South Korea