- 1794 – Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
- 1900 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing United States currency on the gold standard.
- 1910 – Lakeview Gusher, the largest U.S. oil well gusher near Bakersfield, California, vented to atmosphere.
- 1931 – Alam Ara, India’s first talkie film, is released.
- 1942 – Orvan Hess and John Bumstead became the first in the United States successfully to treat a patient, Anne Miller, using penicillin.
- 1994 – Timeline of Linux development: Linux kernel version 1.0.0 is released.
