SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on Nickelodeon.
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Same-sex marriage was legalized in Sweden.
The Acts of Union were passed, officially uniting England and Scotland as one country.
Amtrak began operating as the United States' passenger railroad company.
Fidel Castro banned elections and declared Cuba to be a socialist nation.
Crown Prince Naruhito became the Emperor of Japan following his father's abdication.
