The Junkers Ju 287, the first jet with forward-swept wings, made its first flight.
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Edwin Prescott was awarded a patent for the vertical loop Roller Coaster.
Nikephoros II Phokas was crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Queen Victoria of Britain sent the first-ever transatlantic telegraph to US President James Buchanan.
Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly swim in a record 50:58 at the Beijing Olympic finals.
More than 1,200 tin homes were destroyed after a fire broke out in the Chalantika slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh.