- 1495 – Friar John Cor records the first known batch of scotch whisky.
- 1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
- 1974 – Flixborough disaster: an explosion at a chemical plant kills 28 people.
- 1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
- 2009 – General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history.
Photo by mil8.