1949-Dec-27 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands signed the papers to grant independence to Indonesia
1863-Jan-01 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation
1963-Jun-10 President John F. Kennedy signed the United States Equal Pay Act into law
1956-Mar-03 Dutch swimmer Cockie Gastelaars broke two decades' world record for 100m freestyle
1940-May-10 Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, replacing Neville Chamberlain
1999-Jan-01 The Euro became the official currency in 11 European countries
1965-Aug-06 United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law
1903-Nov-06 The USA recognized the independence of Panama
2003-Jun-10 The Spirit Rover was launched by NASA to start the Mars Exploration Rover mission
1808-Jan-01 The slave trade became illegal when the United States enacted a law banning the importation of slaves
1974-Jan-02 President Richard Nixon signed the national speed limit into law
1990-Jan-03 Panamanian dictator Noriega surrendered to the United States
1895-Nov-08 German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-Rays
1926-Jan-26 John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of a live television system
1959-Jan-01 Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista ousted by Castro-led revolution