• 1602 – The Dutch East India Company—the first company to issue stock, one of the first multinational corporations, and possibly the first megacorporation—was established.

1760 – A fire of unknown cause broke out in Boston, Massachusetts, destroying 349 buildings and left over a thousand people homeless.

1942 – World War II: After being forced to flee the Philippines, US Army General Douglas MacArthur announced in Terowie, South Australia, "I shall return."

1987 – The antiretroviral drug zidovudine (AZT) became the first antiviral drug approved for use against HIV and AIDS.

2006 – Cyclone Larry  made landfall in Far North Queensland, eventually causing nearly AU$1 billion in total damage and destroying over 80 percent of Australia's banana crop.


Cyclone Larry