The Junkers Ju 287, the first jet with forward-swept wings, made its first flight.
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Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly swim in a record 50:58 at the Beijing Olympic finals.
NASA launched its Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers mission (AMPTE) from the Cape Canaveral launch pad.
Edwin Prescott was awarded a patent for the vertical loop Roller Coaster.
Over 566 wildfires swept through British Columbia in Canada, which led to a State of Emergency, and 3,000 people were evacuated.
Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
