1707-Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain
1753-Publication of "Species Plantarum" by Carl Linnaeus - the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
1840-"Penny Black", the world's first adhesive postage stamp issued by Great Britain
1886-U.S. general strike for 8-hour working day begins
1924-German automobile manufacturers Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie begin their first joint venture (later merge into Mercedes-Benz)
1931- Empire State Building opens in New York City - world's tallest building until the World Trade Center in 1970
1948-North Korea proclaims itself Democratic People's Republic of Korea
1956-A doctor in Japan reports an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease
2007-Christopher Hitchens publishes his bestseller "God is not Great" making a case against organized religion