Today:
1770 – Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette were married in a lavish ceremony in Versailles.
1866 – The U.S. Congress authorized the minting of the nickel 5-cent coin to replace the half-dime.
1918 – The Sedition Act was passed in the United States, expanding the Espionage Act and limiting free speech during wartime.
1929 – The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
1943 – The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising officially ended as German troops destroyed the Great Synagogue of Warsaw.
1960 – Theodore Maiman operated the first working laser at Hughes Research Laboratories.
1966 – The Beach Boys released their landmark album “Pet Sounds” in the United States.
1975 – Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1991 – Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
2005 – Kuwait allowed women to vote and run for office in parliamentary elections for the first time.