- 1523 - Death of knight Franz von Sickingen
- 1617 - Death of astronomer David Fabricius
- 1833 - Birth of composer Johannes Brahms
- 1915 - A German submarine sinks the RMS Lusitania, about 1200 people die
- 1998 - The merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler is announced