- 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in papal bull Exsurge Domine.
- 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys.
- 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown).
- 1785 – Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, become the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the English Channel.
- 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
- 1867 – Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode gold mine located in Montana.
- 1916 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter.