Arthur Schawlow & Charles Townes was granted the first patent for a laser.
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America built the first rocket to reach an altitude of 50 miles (80 km).
The Spanish National Assembly officially abolished slavery in Puerto Rico.
The Beatles released their very first album, 'Please Please Me.'
The New York Horticultural Society was founded.
Four people died, and at least twenty were injured in a terrorist attack near the Houses of Parliament in London.
