American driller Edwin Laurentine Drake successfully drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania, US.
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The world's first jet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, completed its first flight.
The British defeated the Americans in the Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn.
Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
Hurricane Five struck Florida and caused 700 fatalities.
Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years.
