1870 - The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
1888 - The refracting telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
1911 - Kebin earthquake; a 7.7 magnitude earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
1918 - Recognized the independence of Finland.
1959 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
