1815 - The first New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to John Stevens (inventor).
1819 - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.
1820 - The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia.
1902 – Died Vasil K'ncov – Bulgarian geographer, historian and politician
1978 - Great Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of 4" an hour.
