- Google was founded. (1998) The Internet search engine was founded by two PhD students at Stanford University in California, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Today, more than one million servers worldwide are used to power Google, which processes more than one billion search requests per day.
- The first transcontinental TV broadcast in America took place, featuring the US President. (1951) US President Harry S. Truman's opening speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty conference was broadcast live in the nation's first coast-to-coast television broadcast.
- Kodak was trademarked. (1888) Inventor George Eastman trademarked his Kodak brand on the same day he was awarded a patent for the camera he invented to use roll film.
- The first 500-mile NASCAR race took place. (1950) The "Southern 500" was the first NASCAR race and was held at the Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. It was the opening day of the racetrack as well, which continues to host NASCAR events today.
- The first Edsel automobiles went on sale. (1957) 1,300 dealers offered the Edsel in four models: Corsair, Ranger, Pacer and Citation. The Edsel was not a popular automotive line. In its first year, only 64,000 cars were sold and the company lost $250 million US Dollars (USD) — the equivalent of $2.5 billion USD in 2010. The Edsel line folded three years later, in 1960.
- Geronimo surrendered, ending the Southwest Indian Wars. (1886) Geronimo, the Chief of the Apache Indian Tribe, had fought for 30 years to defend his Native American land, but finally admitted to being vastly outnumbered. He was the last of the great Indian warriors to surrender.
- Nine black students were blocked from entering school by the US National Guard. (1957) Making a stand against segregation, Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas used the US reserve militia troops to stop nine black students from entering a high school in Little Rock. Faubus was violating a federal desegregation order, and US President Dwight Eisenhower sent the US military to escort the black children into the school.
- Los Angeles, California, was founded. (1781) The city was founded by 44 Spaniards, who called it "The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola." The city later was incorporated as Los Angeles after the US bought California at the end of the Mexican-American War.
- The first "American Idol" was voted into stardom. (2002) The first "Idol" from the American TV show American Idol was Kelly Clarkson. Her success continued after winning the contest, and she has gone on to sell millions of records worldwide.
- One of the first ever recorded Tsunamis destroyed the Japanese island of Kyushu. (1596) A relatively minor earthquake caused a mudslide that resulted in a 50-foot (about 15-meter) tidal wave that engulfed the island, killing about 1,000 people. The wave also destroyed about 1,000 acres (about 4 square kilometers) of the Japanese mainland.
