In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.

In 1817, America’s first public gas street lamp was lighted in Baltimore at the corner of present day East Baltimore and Holliday streets.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.

In 1964, The Beatles arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to begin their first American tour.

In 1971, women in Switzerland gained the right to vote through a national referendum.

In 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered spacewalk, which lasted nearly six hours.

In 1998, the Winter Olympic Games were opened in Nagano, Japan, by Emperor Akihito.