- 1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
- 1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound notes.
- 1807 – The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
- 1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
- 1949 – The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Connecticut.
- 1953 – The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC.
- 1976 – Dane Carlson, founder of Dane Carlson’s Business Opportunities Weblog is born.
- 1983 – Compact Disc players and discs are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had only been available in Japan before then.
Happy Birthday to me.