Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state and Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill allowing for Hawaiian statehood.
The Marx Brothers make their last TV appearance, in The Incredible Jewel Robbery.
Explorer 6 sends the first picture of Earth from space.
In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) opens to the public.
MGM's widescreen, multimillion dollar, Technicolor version of Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston, is released and becomes the studio's greatest hit up to that time. It is critically acclaimed and eventually wins 11 Academy Awards - a record held until 1998, when 1997's Titanic becomes the first film to equal the record.
It happened in 1964:
Capitol Records releases Meet the Beatles!
The Government of the United States authorizes the Twenty-fourth Amendment, outlawing the poll tax.
Shea Stadium opens in Flushing, New York.
The first Ford Mustang rolls off the assembly line at Ford Motor Company.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the visiting New York Yankees, 7-5 to win the World Series.
American civil rights movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
It happened in 1969:
Super Bowl III: The New York Jets defeat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7.
The Beatles give their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records. The impromptu concert was broken up by the police.
The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is published.
Warren E. Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States by retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Apollo program: The lunar module Eagle lands on the lunar surface. The world watches in awe as Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the Moon.
It happened in 1974:
In response to the energy crisis, Daylight Saving Time commences nearly 4 months early in the United States.
Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks Babe Ruth's home run record, by hitting his 715th career home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Stephen King publishes his first novel, Carrie, under his own name.
Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (effective August 9).
World population reaches 4 billion people.
It happened in 1979:
A nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, causes a partial meltdown.
Los Angeles passes a homosexual rights bill.
Michael Jackson releases his first breakthrough album Off The Wall. It sold 7 million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7x platinum album.
The Entertainment Sports Programming Network, known as ESPN, debuts.
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first, and to date, only human disease driven to extinction.
It happened in 1984:
The first Macintosh computer, made by Apple Computer, now Apple Inc. goes on sale.
The longest game in Major League Baseball history begins at 7:30 PM between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago White Sox. The game is played over the course of 2 days, lasting 25 innings, with a total time of 8 hours and 6 minutes.
The Cosby Show premieres on NBC.
The People's Republic of China and United Kingdom sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong.
It happened in 1989:
Batman (1989 film) is released to positive reviews and becomes the highest grossing film based on a DC comic book, until The Dark Knight (2008).
The television show Seinfeld premieres.
Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture.
The first Heavy Metal Grammy given to Jethro Tull.
The Oakland Athletics defeat the San Francisco Giants, 4-0 to win the World Series.
Students from Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and Nanjing protest in Tiananmen Square.
It happened in 1994:
In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband.
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that parodies of an original work are generally covered by the doctrine of fair use.
Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as South Africa's first Black president.
The New York Rangers defeat the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden, New York in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, winning their first Stanley Cup Championship in 54 years and ending the Curse of 1940.
The first conference devoted entirely to the subject of the commercial potential of the World Wide Web opens in San Francisco.
It happened in 1999:
The Euro is established.
The Exxonmobil Corporation merger is completed, forming the largest company in the world.
David Cone of the New York Yankees pitches a perfect game, the 16th in history.
The last Checker taxi cab is retired in New York City and auctioned off for approximately $135,000.
Manchester United wins the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp stadium, Barcelona, beating Bayern Munich.
It happened in 2004:
Facebook was founded at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The largest expansion to date of the European Union takes place, extending the Union by 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus.
Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas wins an unprecedented 6th consecutive Tour de France cycling title.
Martha Stewart begins serving a 5-month sentence for insider trading at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.
The Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1918, breaking the Curse of the Bambino.
