1684 - Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmund Halley.
1817 - Mississippi admitted as 20th state of the Union
1868 - The first traffic lights are installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.
1901 - The first Nobel Prizes are awarded.
1948 - UN General Assembly adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1963 - Zanzibar gains independenence from Great Britain
