A highwayman, Nicolas Pelletier, was the first man to be executed by the guillotine in Paris, France.
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The Thornton Affair, a skirmish between American and Mexican soldiers in Texas, started a chain of events that led to the Mexican-American War.
Francis Crick & James Watson's discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA was formally announced.
Bell Labs demonstrated the first practical silicon solar cell in New Jersey, US.
Romania and Bulgaria signed the European Union's Treaty of Accession, the last step to joining the Union.
The Chongzhen Emperor died by suicide during a peasant rebellion.
