- 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
- 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America’s first millionaire.
- 1869 – Celluloid is patented.
- 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman EmperorTheodosius I.
- 1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
- 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
Happy Good Friday everyone!