The crash of a Boeing 757 aircraft leaves no survivors. Birgenair Flight 301 was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.

The Round Table Talks start in Poland. The negotiations between the Polish government and the trade union Solidarność, or Solidarity in English, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Eastern Europe.

The first microchip is patented. For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom. She succeeded her father, George VI, who died that day.

New Zealand becomes a British colony. While the Treaty of Waitangi is generally celebrated as the country's founding document, many Māori claim they were deceived and unwittingly stripped of their right to govern the country.