Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 9th?

Death of William the Conqueror, King of England.

Anselm of Canterbury becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.

The naval Battle of Diu takes place in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese and the Ottoman Empires. The Portuguese prevailed establishing control of the trade. More

Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais, marking the beginning of their tumultuous relationship.

The USS Constellation, the first American warship under the Constitution, is launched in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Treaty of San Ildefonso is signed between France and Spain, leading to the retrocession of Louisiana from Spain to France.

The United States adopts a new flag, featuring 24 stars to represent the number of states in the union after Missouri's admission.

The British invasion of the Kingdom of Benin begins. The operation was named the Benin Punitive Expedition and part of its objectives was to capture the Benin Oba. The British invasion force of about 1,200 Royal Marines, sailors and Niger Coast Protectorate Forces. Eventually, Benin City was captured by the expedition, looted and set ablaze including the Palace building itself. The British occupied Benin, which was absorbed into the British Niger Coast Protectorate and eventually into British colonial Nigeria. More

The Sylmar earthquake strikes Los Angeles, registering a magnitude of 6.6 and causing significant damage.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) declares an end to its 18-month ceasefire in Northern Ireland.

The 2018 Winter Olympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.