1899 – The Marconi Wireless Company of America was incorporated in New Jersey.
1906 – The International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin adopted the SOS distress signal.
1935 – The first trans-Pacific airmail flight began in Alameda, CA, when the flying boat known as the China Clipper left for Manila. The craft was carrying over 110,000 pieces of mail.
1942 – During World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad began.
1963 – U.S. President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, TX.
1974 – The U.N. General Assembly gave the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status.
1977 – Regular passenger service on the Concorde began between New York and Europe.
2005 – Angela Merkel was elected as Germany’s first female chancellor