- 1843 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
- 1866 – The U.S. Congress eliminates the half dime coin and replaces it with the five cent piece, or nickel.
- 1843 – Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer.
- 1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
- 1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
- 1965 – The Campbell Soup Company introduces SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand.