China launched Chang’e 1, its first lunar orbiter, marking a significant step in its space exploration program and entry into the modern space race.
📍 Xichang, China
NASA launched Deep Space 1, an experimental spacecraft testing advanced technologies like ion propulsion and autonomous navigation.
📍 Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
The Erasmus Bridge, an architectural landmark known as 'The Swan,' was inaugurated in Rotterdam, symbolizing modern Dutch engineering.
📍 Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Concorde completed its first non-stop transatlantic flight, showcasing supersonic passenger travel and marking a milestone in aviation history.
📍 London, England to New York City, USA
TIROS-1, the first successful weather satellite, was launched, revolutionizing meteorology by providing real-time weather data from space.
📍 Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
Latin America began mass immunization with the Salk polio vaccine, contributing to global efforts to eradicate the disease.
📍 Mexico City, Mexico
The Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency known for covert operations and counterterrorism, was officially established.
📍 Tel Aviv, Israel
The United Nations was officially established following the ratification of its charter by major powers, aiming to promote global peace and security after World War II.
📍 San Francisco, USA
The George Washington Bridge, connecting New York and New Jersey and once the longest suspension bridge in the world, officially opened to traffic.
📍 New York City, USA
Jiles Perry Richardson, known as The Big Bopper, an influential figure in early rock and roll history, was born.
📍 Sabine Pass, Texas, USA
The Wall Street Crash, known as Black Thursday, began with a massive stock sell-off, triggering the Great Depression and impacting economies worldwide.
📍 New York City, USA
Moss Hart, renowned playwright and director known for Broadway hits and Hollywood screenplays, was born.
📍 New York City, USA
Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel, achieving fame and marking a bizarre historical first.
📍 Niagara Falls, USA/Canada
X-ray fluoroscopy was used for the first time in medical diagnostics, marking a breakthrough in non-invasive imaging technology.
📍 Germany
Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist known for contributions to electromagnetism and co-developer of the first electromagnetic telegraph, died.
📍 Göttingen, Germany
Susanna M. Salter became the first woman elected as mayor in the United States, marking a milestone in women's political participation.
📍 Argonia, Kansas, USA
Alexandra David-Néel, famed for her travels in Tibet and works on Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, was born in France.
📍 Saint-Mandé, France
The first transcontinental telegraph line was completed, allowing a telegram to be sent from California to Washington, D.C., revolutionizing long-distance communication in the U.S.
📍 San Francisco, California, USA
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, physicist and inventor of the mercury thermometer and the Fahrenheit temperature scale, died in the Netherlands.
📍 The Hague, Netherlands
The Treaty of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years' War in Europe and establishing principles of national sovereignty that shaped modern international law.
📍 Münster and Osnabrück, Germany