The Junkers Ju 287, the first jet with forward-swept wings, made its first flight.
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Julian Assange, who founded WikiLeaks, was given political asylum by Ecuador.
Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly swim in a record 50:58 at the Beijing Olympic finals.
Georgian heavyweight-lifting champion Lasha Talakhadze smashed a world record by lifting an incredible 473 kg.
Over 566 wildfires swept through British Columbia in Canada, which led to a State of Emergency, and 3,000 people were evacuated.
Queen Victoria of Britain sent the first-ever transatlantic telegraph to US President James Buchanan.
