• 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte elected president of Italian (Cisalpine) Republic
  • 1881 – Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
  • 1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
  • 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
  • 1959 – In the U.S., American Airlines had the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
  • 1961 – In Washington, D.C., President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.
  • 1961 – John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news conference from Washington, DC. The event was carried on radio and television.
  • 1971 – Maj. Gen. Idi Amin led a coup that deposed Milton Obote and became president of Uganda.
  • 1980 – Mother Teresa is honored with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna
  • 2004 – Opportunity rover (MER-B) lands on surface of Mars.