A steamboat patent was granted to the American engineer and inventor Robert Fulton.
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Argentina canonized its first female saint, Saint María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa.
Nelson Mandela was released from prison after being incarcerated for 27 years in South Africa.
The BBC broadcast the world's first science fiction television program, an adaptation of the play R.U.R.
The Boston Bicycle Club was formed, becoming the first cycling club in the United States.
A charity auction in Los Angeles saw the lyrics to 'Candle in the Wind' sell to the highest bidder at a staggering $442,500.
