History Hop Tags - Officially

843-03-11

Icon veneration officially re-instated in Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople

1249-03-16

The Servite Order is officially approved by Cardinal Raniero Capocci, papal legate in Tuscany.

1271-12-18

Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China.

1558-05-03

Ferdinand I officially appointed Holy Roman Emperor after his brother Charles abdicated in 1556

1607-01-19

San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is currently the oldest church in the Philippines

1610-01-01

German astronomer Simon Marius first discovers the Jupiter moons, but does not officially report it, Galileo does on July 1 1610

1721-04-03

Robert Walpole becomes Britain's 1st Lord of the Treasury - effective Prime Minister, although that term was never officially used (indeed, it was considered an insult) until much later.

1776-09-09

Congress officially renames the country as the United States of America (Was the United Colonies)

1793-08-10

Louvre palace officially opens in Paris as The Museum Central des Arts

1794-03-28

Louvre opens to the public (although officially opened since August)

1802-07-04

US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, NY)

1805-02-15

Harmony Society is officially formed.

1812-06-04

Louisiana Territory officially renamed "Missouri Territory"

1815-05-16

The Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, officially names the town of Blackheath in the upper Blue Mountains.

1817-10-09

University of Gent officially opens

1822-12-12

Mexico officially recognized as an independent nation by US

1824-03-05

First Burmese War: The British officially declare war on Burma.

1840-11-16

New Zealand officially becomes British colony

1843-11-28

Ka Lahui: Hawaiian Independence Day - The Kingdom of Hawaii is officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation.

1850-06-29

Autocephaly Officially Granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to The Church of Greece.

1861-09-09

Nurse Sally Tompkins is officially commissioned as an officer (and its only woman officer) by the Confederate US Army

1861-11-28

Confederate congress officially admits Missouri to Confederacy

1862-07-17

United army officially divides corps

1862-09-18

Confederate armies officially divide into corps

1868-11-02

Time zone: New Zealand officially adopts a standard time to be observed nationally

1872-03-11

The Meiji Japanese government officially annexes the Ryukyu Kingdom into what would become the Okinawa prefecture.

1874-03-02

Baseball batter's box is officially adopted

1880-08-02

British Parliament officially adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

1885-03-28

US Salvation Army officially organized

1886-08-13

John A. Macdonald uses a silver hammer to pound a gold spike, officially completing the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway in British Columbia

1889-03-23

The free Woolwich Ferry officially opens in east London.

1889-03-31

300m Eiffel Tower officially opens (commemorates French Revolution)

1889-04-22

Oklahoma land rush officially started; some were "sooner"

1889-10-15

Amsterdam Central Station officially opens

1891-08-15

San Sebastian Church in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.

1892-06-11

The Limelight Department, one of the world's first film studios, is officially established in Melbourne, Australia.

1895-06-20

Canal of Smock officially opens

1897-05-22

The Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was officially opened

1903-09-30

New Gresham's School officially opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood.

1907-01-26

The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the oldest military rifle still in official use.

1911-11-03

Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T.

1912-04-20

Fenway Park officially opens, Red Sox beat NY Highlanders 7-6 in 11

1913-12-12

Hebrew language officially used to teach in Palestinian schools

1915-11-01

Parris Island is officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

1918-05-23

King Oil/Shell refinery on Curacao officially opens

1923-07-13

The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads "Hollywoodland " but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.

1925-03-21

Edinburgh's Murreyfield Stadium officially opens

1926-10-04

Dahlia is officially designated as SF city flower

1928-11-17

Boston Garden officially opens

1930-04-29

North Sea floodgate at Ijmuiden (biggest in world) officially opens

1931-03-03

"Star Spangled Banner" officially becomes US national anthem by congressional resolution

1932-11-24

In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.

1934-01-01

Alcatraz officially becomes a federal prison

1935-03-11

Hermann Goering officially creates German Air Force, the Luftwaffe

1935-03-21

Persia officially renamed Iran

1938-02-04

Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is officially released

1940-04-01

Filippino President Quezon officially authorizes the printing and publication of the grammar and dictionary prepared by the Institute of the National Language.

1943-11-22

France officially recognises the independence of Lebanon, releasing the imprison Lebanese government

1944-12-03

Britain's Home Guard ('Dad's Army') is officially stood down at a special farewell parade in Hyde Park, London.

1945-12-28

Congress officially recognizes "Pledge of Allegiance"

1946-04-07

Syria's independence from France is officially recognised.

1946-08-06

US officially submits to jurisdiction of World Court

1946-12-31

Pres Harry Truman officially proclaims end of WW II

1948-03-07

The Dodecanese islands officially become part of Greece again, ending the Italian rule.

1948-05-18

The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.

1951-04-12

Israeli Knesset officially designated April 13 as Holocaust Day

1953-06-03

Alexander Cartwright officially credited by U.S. Congress as founder of baseball

1953-11-17

St Louis Browns officially become the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc

1958-02-07

Dodgers officially become the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc

1958-06-09

HM Queen Elizabeth II officially opens London Gatwick Airport, (LGW), Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom.

1959-05-30

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is officially opened in Auckland, New Zealand.

1960-07-07

US cemetery officially opens at Margraten, Netherlands

1961-04-27

NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio

1961-09-01

The Eritrean War of Independence officially begins with the shooting of the Ethiopian police by Hamid Idris Awate

1966-09-08

The Severn Bridge is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II

1967-12-19

Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt is officially presumed dead.

1968-07-01

The CIA's Phoenix Program is officially established.

1968-08-14

Montreal Expos officially become a member of NL

1969-07-14

The United States $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills are officially withdrawn from circulation.

1970-04-10

Paul McCartney officially announces the split of The Beatles

1970-05-28

The formerly united Free University of Brussels officially splits into two separate entities, the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

1970-07-31

Black Tot Day: the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.

1972-03-06

Keswick to Penrith railway officially closes

1972-05-04

The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to "Greenpeace Foundation".

1974-02-24

Pakistan officially recognizes Bangladesh

1975-10-26

Anwar Sadat became 1st Egyptian president to officially visit US

1976-01-23

The Provisional Irish Republican Army truce of February 1975 is officially brought to an end

1977-02-02

Radio Shack officially begins creating TRS-80 computer

1977-11-10

Major Indoor Soccer League officially organized (NYC)

1978-09-03

Pope John Paul I officially installed as 264th supreme pontiff

1980-07-01

'O Canada' officially becomes the national anthem of Canada.

1981-06-05

Aids Epidemic officially begins when US Centers of Disease Control reports on pneumonia affecting 5 homosexual men

1982-06-30

NJ NHL franchise officially named Devils by fan balloting, runner-up names are Blades, Meadowlanders & Americans

1984-05-08

Thames Barrier to stop flooding in London officially completed

1984-06-30

Pierre Trudeau officially steps down as Prime Minister of Canada after serving two separate terms for a total of 15 years

1986-03-29

Beatle records officially go on sale in Russia

1986-10-03

TASCC, a superconducting cyclotron at the Chalk River Laboratories, was officially opened.

1988-03-15

NFL's St Louis Cardinals officially move to Phoenix

1988-06-20

WABC officially becomes the NJ Devils new home radio

1988-12-09

The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland is officially opened.

1989-03-09

Soviet Union officially submits to jurisdiction of the World Court

1989-03-15

Dept of Veterans Affairs officially established as a Cabinet position

1989-05-01

135 acre Disney's MGM studio officially opens to public

1990-04-24

Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.

1991-01-09

Baseball officially bans Pete Rose from being elected to Hall of Fame

1991-03-01

US Embassy in Kuwait officially reopens

1991-03-17

9 of 15 Soviet reps officially approve new union treaty

1991-04-01

Warsaw Pact officially dissolves

1991-09-02

US officially recognizes independence of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

1992-03-15

UN officially embarks on its largest peacekeeping operation

1993-02-10

US officially backs peace plan in Bosnia

1993-08-02

Shamrock Broadcasting, a Disney company, officially takes ownership of Cleveland's WMMS-FM/100.7 & WHK-AM/1420

1994-03-31

Walkway from Cleveland's Tower City to Jacobs Field officially opens

1994-05-06

Chunnel linking England & France officially opens

1994-08-17

NY Central park reservior officially named after Jackie Kennedy Onasis

1994-09-04

Kansai International airport officially opens

1995-01-30

Kevin Eubanks officially becomes band leader of "Tonight Show"

1995-03-21

NJ officially dedicates the Howard Stern Rest Area along Route 295

1995-11-06

Art Modell officially announces Cleveland Browns are moving to Balt

1996-07-01

NHL Winnipeg Jets officially become the Phoenix Coyotes

1996-11-23

The Republic of Angola officially joins the World Trade Organization.

1996-12-18

The Oakland, California school board passes a resolution officially declaring "Ebonics" a language or dialect.

1997-01-01

The Republic of Zaïre officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Zaïre.

1997-04-04

Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs

1997-12-24

1st time a Channukah candle is officially lit in Vatican City

1999-07-01

The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on the day powers are officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.

2001-05-21

French Taubira law officially recognizes the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.

2002-01-01

The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force.

2002-01-01

Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.

2002-10-16

Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, is officially inaugurated.

2003-01-24

The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.

2003-02-04

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is officially renamed Serbia and Montenegro and adopts a new constitution.

2003-05-28

Patrick Roy officially announces his retirement from the NHL

2003-06-10

"Wicked", starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, officially opens at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco

2003-12-07

The Conservative Party of Canada is officially recognized after the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

2004-11-18

Russia officially ratifies the Kyoto Protocol.

2004-12-14

The Millau viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, near Millau, France is officially opened.

2005-03-16

Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control.

2006-03-26

The military junta ruling Burma officially named Naypyidaw, a new city in Mandalay Division, as the new capital. Yangon had formerly been the nation's capital.

2006-06-21

Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix & Hydra.

2006-07-03

Steve Yzerman officially retires from the NHL, finishing with 692 goals and 1755 points

2006-08-24

After signing a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice officially retires from the NFL

2007-01-01

Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Also, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages.

2007-01-01

Slovenia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the thirteenth Eurozone country.

2007-04-26

Queen's Pier is officially closed by the Hong Kong Government, after a bitter struggle by conservationists, in order to facilitate land reclamation in Hong Kong's Central district

2007-09-14

Restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass are officially removed in the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum takes effect.

2007-09-17

AOL, once the largest ISP in the U.S., officially announces plans to refocus the company as an advertising business and to relocate its corporate headquarters from Dulles, Virginia to New York, New York.

2008-01-01

Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency and become the fourteenth and fifteenth Eurozone countries.

2008-01-08

New Jersey officially apologizes for slavery, becoming the first Northern state to do so.

2008-03-24

Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.

2008-11-14

Eurozone officially slips into recession for the first time since its creation in 1999, pushed down by recessions in Germany and Italy

2009-01-01

Slovakia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the sixteenth Eurozone country.

2009-01-23

UK officially enters recession as GDP falls by 1.5% in the last quarter of 2008 following a 0.6% drop in the third quarter, with unemployment growing by 131,000 to 1.92 million (6.1%)

2009-05-20

Mexico is the first Latin American country to officially enter recession

2009-06-02

Switzerland officially enters the global recession

2009-06-05

Chileo officially enters recession; it is the first South American country to enter the global recession

2009-06-09

Brazil officially enters recession

2009-06-11

Bulgarian authorities declare the country is officially in recession after dropping 1.6% in the last quarter of 2008

2009-09-14

David Attenborough and Prince William officially open the Darwin Centre at the National History Museum London, in what is the Museum's most significant expansion since 1881

2009-09-21

Macedonia officially enters the recession after experiencing a drop in GDP of 0.9% in the first quarter, followed by 1.4% in the second quarter

2009-11-13

The Netherlands officially exits the recession after experiencing 0.4% growth in the third quarter, but recovery for the Netherlands still remains fragile as the country is highly dependent on exports to maintain the recovery

2010-01-04

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building, is officially opened.

2010-01-12

Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009

2010-01-26

After 6 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, the UK economy officially finally comes out of recession with a GDP growth of 0.1%

2010-08-14

2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, first ever Youth Olympics, officially starts in Singapore.

2010-12-07

Iceland officially leaves the recession with growth of 1.2% in the third quarter

2011-01-10

Ian McKellen officially confirms that he will reprise the role of Gandalf in "The Hobbit" film adaptations

2011-02-03

All available blocks of IPv4 internet addresses are officially distributed to regional authorities.

2011-05-13

Romania officially leaves the recession after 2 years following economic growth of an annualised 1.6% in the first quarter

2012-04-03

US President Barack Obama officially secures Democratic presidential nomination

2012-05-09

United States President Barack Obama officially states his support for same sex marriage

2012-07-18

Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army

2012-08-28

Mitt Romney is officially nominated as the United States Republican Party's candidate

2015-12-18

UN to officially recognize Yom Kippur in 2016

2016-11-29

Trump Officially Wins Michigan Amid Calls for a Recount

2017-04-18

First woman to officially run Boston Marathon finishes race again at 70

2017-09-13

Apple officially opens Steve Jobs Theater with unveiling of iPhone 8, iPhone X

1982-03-25

Martín Yernazian, Art Officially Favored

1814-05-26

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, officially named the Guillotine (b. 1789)