1783: Hostilities ceased between Great Britain and the United States after American signing of the Treaty of Paris in the State House in Annapolis. With all of the north excepting New York town in colonial hands, and the south lost after the collapse of Cornwallis at Yorktown in October of 1781, it was apparent to the British forces left in New York -- and politicians in Britain -- that there was no point to further efforts. Though unofficial, a state of armistice spread rapidly, and except for a handful of quite petty confrontations by hardliners, hostilities practicably ceased.

1841: Hong Kong was ceded by China, after the Opium War, and was first occupied by Great Britain

1918: The Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim and light cruiser Midilli (formerly the German ships Goeben and Breslau, and still largely manned by German crews) sortied from the Dardanelles in a surprise attack on the Allied naval forces blockading the area.

Two Royal Navy monitors, used to bombard the Turkish positions - HMS Raglan and HMS M-28 - were sunk, and the remaining British and French ships, which should have been capable of dealing decisively with the attack, reacted too slowly. Only the destroyers Lizard and Tigress properly engaged the enemy, despite being much inferior in firepower. The two raiders paid a heavy price nonetheless, suffering multiple hits in the Allied minefields. Midilli/Breslau sank, and Yavuz/Goeben had to beach herself for repair.

1942: Heavy Japanese air attacks were launched on Rabaul in New Britain, in preparation for an amphibious invasion. Royal Australian Air Force Wirraways - training aircraft pressed into desperate front-line service - gallantly engaged the Japanese fighters and bombers despite utter inferiority in both numbers and capability.

Of the eight Wirraways of 24 Squadron RAAF, three were shot down, another was destroyed on take-off, and two were forced to crash-land. The Japanese took the town on 23 January and turned it into a massive fortress.