Civil rights icon Rosa Parks was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors in the United States, for her pivotal role in ending racial segregation.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Singer Andy Gibb, the youngest brother of the Bee Gees, died at the age of 30 from heart inflammation. His short but successful solo career left a lasting mark on 1970s pop music.
📍 Oxford, England, United Kingdom
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) officially entered into force, aiming to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote peaceful nuclear cooperation.
📍 New York City, United Nations Headquarters
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War, affirming First Amendment rights in schools and setting a landmark free speech precedent.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
NASA introduced the Mercury Seven, America's first group of astronauts selected for the Mercury program. Their selection marked the U.S. entry into the manned space race against the Soviet Union.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The Soviet Union conducted its first successful test of a deliverable hydrogen bomb, escalating the nuclear arms race and solidifying its status as a superpower during the Cold War.
📍 Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union
Italy was officially admitted to the United Nations, expanding post-World War II diplomacy and further integrating Western Europe into the international community.
📍 New York City, United Nations Headquarters
The BBC aired the first regularly scheduled televised weather forecast, using in-vision presenters. It introduced a new era of broadcast meteorology that spread worldwide.
📍 London, United Kingdom
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died after suffering a stroke, ending a 30-year rule marked by mass repression, forced collectivization, and World War II leadership. His death triggered a power struggle and eventual thaw in Soviet policy.
📍 Moscow, Soviet Union
Zhou Enlai was officially appointed as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China. He played a pivotal role in Chinese diplomacy and governance for nearly three decades.
📍 Beijing, China
Following a coup d'état in February, Czechoslovakia was officially declared a communist state aligned with the Soviet Union. This marked a major Cold War turning point in Central Europe.
📍 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech in Missouri, signaling the start of the Cold War and framing the ideological divide between East and West.
📍 Fulton, Missouri, United States
Sergei Prokofiev’s iconic musical composition 'Peter and the Wolf' premiered in Moscow, introducing generations of children to classical music through narration and orchestral storytelling.
📍 Moscow, Soviet Union
The Air Commerce Act was approved, providing federal oversight for civil aviation, including pilot licensing and air traffic regulation. It marked the beginning of modern air travel infrastructure in the U.S.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, famed for the Kon-Tiki expedition across the Pacific, was born. His work challenged conventional ideas of prehistoric sea travel.
📍 Larvik, Norway
Revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg was released from prison after being jailed for her anti-war stance and political activism. She later became a key figure in the German Revolution of 1918–1919.
📍 Berlin, Germany
German physicist Heinrich Hertz, who conclusively proved the existence of electromagnetic waves, was born. His work laid the foundation for modern radio, radar, and wireless communication.
📍 Hamburg, Germany
Preliminary discussions began on the Treaty of Paris to end the Crimean War, reshaping power dynamics in Europe and limiting Russian influence in the Black Sea.
📍 Paris, France
Samuel Colt received a U.S. patent for his design of the Colt revolver, revolutionizing firearm technology and influencing military, law enforcement, and civilian use for generations.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists in Boston, killing five and wounding others. The Boston Massacre became a pivotal event in escalating anti-British sentiment before the American Revolution.
📍 Boston, Massachusetts, British America