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

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

2003 The Spirit Rover was launched by NASA to start the Mars Exploration Rover mission

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

1807 Innovation of the steamboat

1895 German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-Rays

1767 King Taksin was crowned King of Thailand (Siam)

1804 Haiti declared its independence from France

1876 Innovation of the telephone

1808 The slave trade became illegal when the United States enacted a law banning the importation of slaves

1994 Nelson Mandela sworn in as the first black president of South Africa

1901 Guglielmo Marconi sent and received the first wireless message across the Atlantic Ocean

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

1835 The Treaty of New Echota was signed between the United States Government and representatives of a minority Cherokee Political Faction

1964 Kenya became a republic

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