German automaker Volkswagen ended production of the Beetle, the first model of which had been introduced in 1938. [Take our quiz about machinery and manufacturing.]

Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who garnered international acclaim for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), died at the age of 83. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about films.]

Russian politician Boris Yeltsin was sworn into office as the country’s first elected president. [Test your knowledge of Russian history.]

The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk by two bomb explosions while berthed in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand; it was later revealed that French intelligence agents had planted the explosives.

The Bahamas gained independence from Britain within the Commonwealth. [Take our quiz about islands.]

British rock band the Rolling Stones topped U.S. charts for the first time with the single (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. [How much do you know about rock and roll?]

Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin was issued a U.S. patent for a three-point seatbelt for cars; a major safety innovation, it featured a strap that extended across the upper body in addition to a standard lap restraint. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous inventions and inventors.]

The constitution of Eritrea, prepared by the United Nations in consultation with Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, was adopted. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Africa.]

The Scopes Trial began in Dayton, Tennessee, with William Jennings Bryan arguing for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. [Read more about this and nine other “trials of the century.”]

Wyoming is admitted as the United States’ 44th state. Wyoming’s constitution (1889) was the first in the world to grant full voting rights to women, as well as allow them to hold public office. Wyoming also became the first state to elect a woman governor when Nellie Tayloe Ross won the position in 1924. Because of these developments, Wyoming has been called the Equality State.

Mary McLeod Bethune, an African American educator who was active in national Black affairs and a special adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. [Take our quiz about African American history.]

French novelist Marcel Proust—who wrote À la recherche du temps perdu (1913–27; In Search of Lost Time), a seven-volume novel based on his life—was born. [Test your knowledge of French writers.]

The Catholic League was formed by Maximilian I, duke of Bavaria, and the Catholic powers in Germany. [Take our quiz about the history of Roman Catholicism.]

William I, first of the hereditary stadtholders of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, was assassinated. [How much do you know about European history?]

Lady Jane Grey, the 15-year-old great-granddaughter of Henry VII, became queen of England, but her reign lasted only nine days, and she was executed by Mary Tudor the following year. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English royalty.]