A 6.9 earthquake in Spitak, Armenia, killed 25,000-50,000 people and left up to 500,000 homeless.
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Inventor Leo Baekeland patented the first thermosetting plastic, Bakelite, which sparked the birth of the plastics industry.
Delaware became the first state to ratify the US constitution.
The southern parts of Great Britain were struck by The Great Storm of 1703, which took the lives of 9,000 people.
An assassination attempt was made on the First Lady of the Philippines.
Apollo 17 launched the final manned lunar landing mission, during which the crew took the famous 'blue marble' photo of the entire Earth.
