On this day: 18 October

The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession

The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, also called the Treaty of Aachen, was signed, ending the War of the Austrian Succession. The war had been fought since 1740 between Europe's great powers, mostly in Europe and at sea. Several other wars were linked to it, including the War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain.

Félicette becomes the first cat in space

A Parisian cat, later named Félicette, became the first cat launched into space, aboard a French Véronique rocket. She was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight as part of the French space programme. Her capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket's engine was lit. Félicette survived the flight, and scientists collected useful information from the mission.

Venera 4 is the first probe to study another planet's air up close

The Soviet space probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to study conditions inside the atmosphere of another planet, Venus. It had two parts: a carrier spacecraft and a lander. The lander dropped into Venus's atmosphere on a parachute, while the carrier passed its information back to Earth.

Bob Beamon makes a record-smashing long jump at the Olympics

At the Olympic Games in Mexico City, American athlete Bob Beamon leapt 8.90 metres in the long jump. He beat the old world record by 55 centimetres. His world record lasted for almost 23 years, until Mike Powell jumped further in 1991. Beamon's leap is still the Olympic record.

Pappus of Alexandria, one of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity, observed an eclipse that allowed historians to calculate the approximate dates of his life.

Dagobert I is crowned King of the Franks.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock.

Byzantine–Norman wars: Robert Guiscard led an invasion of the Byzantine Empire, capturing Dyrrhachium in present-day Albania.

Michael the Syrian, one of the most important Syriac historians, is consecrated as Syriac Orthodox Patriarch at the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery.

Pope Martin IV excommunicates King Peter III of Aragon for usurping the crown of Sicily (a sentence renewed on 7 May and 18 November 1282).

The most significant earthquake to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history destroyed Basel, Switzerland.

In Japan the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima is fought between the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, resulting in a draw.

The first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese occurred when a flotilla of samurai attacked two Portuguese trade vessels at the Battle of Fukuda Bay in Nagasaki.

Filipino sailors disembarked from the Manila galleon Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza in what is now Morro Bay, California, the first documented instance of Asians in the Americas.

Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, defeats the Army of Andrew Báthory in the Battle of Șelimbăr, leading to the first recorded unification of the Romanian people.

Boston shoemakers form the first American labor organization.

African-American poet Phillis Wheatley is freed from slavery.

American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah is lifted.

United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day.

The United States takes possession of Puerto Rico from Spain.

Count Bernhard von Bülow becomes chancellor of Germany.

The Robert Burns Memorial Statue, the first public statue erected in New Brunswick, was dedicated in Fredericton.

First Balkan War: King Peter I of Serbia issues a declaration "To the Serbian People", as his country joins the war.

The Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement is founded in Germany.

The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is formed as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

World War II: The state funeral of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel takes place in Ulm, Germany.

Argentine military officer and politician Juan Perón marries actress Eva Duarte.

Texas Instruments announces the Regency TR-1, the first mass-produced transistor radio.

Based on the world's first children's art museum, the Henrik Igityan National Centre for Aesthetics opened in Yerevan.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins allowing people to have home satellite earth stations without a federal government license.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-34 to deploy the Jupiter-bound Galileo space probe.

The Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopts a declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

Bolivian gas conflict: Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is forced to resign and leave Bolivia.

Protests in Santiago that started 11 days prior escalated into open battle against the Chilean national police, forcing President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency.

NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch take part in the first all-female spacewalk when they venture out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller.