1741 – Elisabeth Petrovna becomes tsarina of Russia
1835 – Bavarian Ludwig railway opens – first German steam railway
1877 – Thomas Edison demonstrates his phonograph (gramophone) to the editors of “Scientific American”
1917 – US becomes 13th country to declare war on Austria during World War I
1926 – Gas refrigerator patented
1941 – 1st Japanese midget submarine (No. 20) attacked by a US ship (USS Ward)
1960 – Ivory Coast claims independence from France
1972 – Apollo 17 (US), final manned lunar landing mission, launched
1981 – Spain becomes a member of the NATO
