NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft entered interstellar space, becoming the first artificial object to do so.
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Captain James Cook set sail on his first voyage from Plymouth, heading for the Pacific Ocean.
Uruguay gained independence from Brazil, which is now celebrated as a National Holiday for Uruguayans.
Belarus declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
Naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discovered the world's tallest tree in Redwood National Park, California.
Astronomer Galileo demonstrated one of his earlier telescopes to Venetian lawmakers.