Italian astronomer Giovanni Donati became the first person to observe the spectrum of a comet.
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Nelson Mandela returned to South Africa and was arrested for illegally leaving the country.
The first taxicab service started operating in Tokyo, Japan.
Henry I took to the throne as he was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, London.
The first traffic lights in the US were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
English explorer Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for the British crown.
