1836 Spain recognized the independence of Mexico by signing the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty

1767 King Taksin was crowned King of Thailand (Siam)

1964 Kenya became a republic

1964 United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law

1949 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands signed the papers to grant independence to Indonesia

1940 Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, replacing Neville Chamberlain

1921 The Communist Party of China (CPC) was formed, and Chen Duxiu was elected its leader

1965 United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law

1895 German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-Rays

1903 Innovation of the aeroplane

1814 Innovation of the steam locomotive (engine)

1932 Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City

1807 Innovation of the steamboat

1924 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announced that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies in the universe

1876 Innovation of the telephone

1997 The United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China