Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
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The Junkers Ju 287, the first jet with forward-swept wings, made its first flight.
Queen Victoria of Britain sent the first-ever transatlantic telegraph to US President James Buchanan.
NASA launched its Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers mission (AMPTE) from the Cape Canaveral launch pad.
Nikephoros II Phokas was crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly swim in a record 50:58 at the Beijing Olympic finals.
