- 1896 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Roentgen has discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays.
- 1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage of $5 for a day’s labor.
- 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
- 1940 – FM radio is demonstrated to the Federal Communications Commission for the first time.
- 1944 – The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
- 1972 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the development of a space shuttle program.