Today:
1606: The Virginia Company of London was established by royal charter to create colonial settlements in North America.
1790: President George Washington signed the Patent Act into law, officially establishing the United States patent system.
1815: Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies began its most significant eruption phase, eventually leading to the Year Without a Summer.
1849: Walter Hunt was granted a patent for the safety pin, an invention he famously sold for a small sum to pay off a debt.
1866: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
1912: The RMS Titanic departed from Southampton, England, for its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.
1925: The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published for the first time by Charles Scribner’s Sons.
1953: Warner Bros. released the film House of Wax, which was the first 3D color feature film produced by a major American studio.
1970: Paul McCartney announced his departure from the Beatles, marking the public dissolution of the group.
1998: The Good Friday Agreement was reached in Northern Ireland, establishing a framework for a lasting peace process.