A highwayman, Nicolas Pelletier, was the first man to be executed by the guillotine in Paris, France.
Source
New York state became the first to require license plates on automobiles.
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.
Kathmandu, Nepal, was devastated by a major earthquake.
