On this day in 1652, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa at what eventually became known as Cape Town.
On this day in 1896, in Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games was celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games were banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
On this day in 1974, the Swedish pop band ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo", launching their international career.
On this day in 1909, Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reached the North Pole.