Naomi Uemura becomes of the first person to reach the North Pole alone. The Japanese adventurer is also credited with the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley and the first solo rafting of the Amazon river. He disappeared in 1984 during a winter ascent of Mount McKinley.

Fidel Castro declares Cuba a socialist nation and bans elections. A month after Cuban troops had fought off a U.S. backed military invasion at the Bay of Pigs, Castro announces that “The revolution has no time for elections.”

Adolf Hitler's death is announced on German radio. As the Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, the German people are informed that “our leader, Adolf Hitler, has fallen for Germany, fighting to his last breath against Bolshevism.”

The world's largest trade union is founded. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has more than 300 million members.

The world's first adhesive postage stamp is issued in the United Kingdom. The Penny Black shows a portrait of Queen Victoria. Despite its historical significance, the stamp can be bought for around £25 as over 68 million copied were distributed.