Otto Lilienthal(German aviator whose work made a significant contribution to the success of the Wright Brothers)β
Robert Goddard(rocket scientist)β
Isaac Hayes(singer & songwriter)β
Events
Missouri, the second state to be created from the Louisiana Purchase, was admitted to the Union as the 24th state β
The Smithsonian Institution was established at the bequest of James Smithson; the reason for the bequest remains unknown β
Alexander Graham Bell received the first long-distance phone call in Brantford, Ontario, from his father who was 8 miles away in Paris, Ontario β
The Canadian Bill of Rights was enacted β
President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 β
Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the 107th justice of the US Supreme Court β
First Earth/Space wedding. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), married Ekaterina Dmitriev, on Earth β
For the first time in Canada, a court ordered a man to give his ex-wife monthly support payments for their dog. The man was told to pay $200 a month in alimony towards the upkeep of the couplesβ St. Bernard β
Weather
A tornado hit Coney Island, New York, causing extensive damage β
Frost was reported in Iowa and Chicago β
101.3 degrees F in Kent, England β
-136 degrees F (-93.2 degrees C) recorded at the East Antarctic Plateau in Antarctica, making it the coldest temperature on Earth on record at the time β