In a triumph for freedom of the press, newspaperman John Peter Zenger was acquitted of the charge of seditious libelβ
George Washington became a Master Masonβ
What is now Prince Edward Island became separate from Nova Scotiaβ
The Saturday Evening Post was published for the first time as a weekly newspaperβ
Aurora visible in much of the United Statesβ
Thomas Stevens was the first to bicycle across the United States, leaving San Francisco on April 22 and arriving on this day in Boston to complete his transcontinental trip.β
The family of Lizzie Borden was found murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusettsβ
Canada entered WWIβ
The Gestapo found Anne Frankβ
Three civil rights workers (James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner) were found murdered outside Philadelphia, Mississippiβ
Major geomagnetic stormβ
President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating the United States Department of Energyβ
Phoenix Mars Lander launched, Cape Canaveral, Floridaβ
Weather
Spokane, Washington, reached a record high temperature of 108 degrees Fβ