Germany abandons nuclear energy. The government's decision followed the nuclear meltdown at Japan's Fukushima power plant and years of hands-on protests and activism by Germany powerful anti-nuclear movement.

The Republic of Biafra is proclaimed. The short-lived state consisted of Nigeria's Eastern Region. Its secession sparked the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted until 1970 and resulted in the region's re-integration into Nigeria.

Benjamin Britten's War Requiem is premiered. The work was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed in World War II. It juxtaposes the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead with war poems by Wilfred Owen.

The Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo, is assassinated. El Jefe had been the Dominican Republic's President for 31 years. Despite the assassination, the intended removal of the dictatorship in the Caribbean country failed as the ruler's son, Ramfis Trujillo, soon stepped into his father's shoes.

The first Indianapolis 500 is held. Ray Harroun won the first running of the 500-mile automobile race, which is today one of the world's most prestigious sporting events.