- The term "Cold War" was coined. (1947) Bernard Baruch, a financier who served as an adviser to several US presidents, gave a speech in the South Carolina House of Representatives in which he used the term "cold war." The word was immediately picked up by magazines and newspapers and became embedded in popular consciousness.
- The Texas City Disaster occurred. (1947) The accident is considered the worst industrial accident in US history because of the high number of fatalities. The disaster occurred when a fire aboard a fertilizer ship sparked a massive explosion, killing about 600 people.
- LSD was discovered to be hallucinogenic. (1943) A Swiss chemist accidentally took some LSD while experimenting with lysergic acids, and reported having a "not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition" along with hallucinations. The drug became popular as a recreational drug until it was made illegal in the US in 1965.
- Slavery became illegal in the District of Columbia. (1862) About 3,000 slaves were freed in one of the first moves leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Walter Cronkite became the anchor of "The CBS Evening News." (1962) Often called the most trusted man in America, Cronkite covered some of the most important events in the 20th century during his tenure on the Evening News, including the assassination of President Kennedy and the Watergate scandal.
- Apollo 16 launched. (1972) Apollo 16 was the tenth mission in the Apollo series, and was the fifth American spacecraft to land on the moon. Despite a malfunction in the propulsion system, the mission was successful, and the crew explored the previously unmapped highlands regions.
- The first woman flew across the English Channel. (1912) Harriet Quimby was a screenwriter and pilot and became the first woman to fly across the English Channel less than a year after she got her pilot's license.
- The Rolling Stones released their first album. (1964) The Rolling Stones was released in the UK on this day. It became an immediate hit, and stayed number one on the UK charts for 12 weeks.
- Bob Feller pitched the first Opening Day no-hitter in baseball. (1940) Feller threw his first no-hitter for the Cleveland Indians on this day, which was also the first Opening Day no-hitter in baseball. Only two other pitchers have had more no-hitters than Feller.
- Charlie Chaplin was born. (1889) Chaplin was one of the titans of the early American film industry, and his films are still considered classics. He left America after being accused of Communist sympathies to live out the rest of his life in Switzerland, but eventually won an honorary Oscar as well as British knighthood.