1586 ― Sir Walter Raleigh introduces tobacco to England from Virginia
1661 ― Parliament of England passes the Navigation Act
1789 ― U.S. Congress establishes Dept. of Foreign Affairs (State dept.)
1862 ― Steamer "Golden Gate" burns & sinks off west coast of Mexico
1866 ― Atlantic telegraph cable successfully laid (1,686 miles long)
1940 ― Billboard magazine starts publishing bestseller charts
1941 ― Imperial Japanese forces invade Indo-China
1944 ― U.S. regains possession of Guam from Japan
1953 ― Armistice signed halting Korean War
1954 ― Armistice divides Vietnam into two countries
1955 ― Austria regains full independence after post-war occupation
1976 ― 8.2 Tangshan earthquake kills estimated 240,000 Chinese
1977 ― John Lennon granted U.S. green card