Bulgaria and Romania signed accession treaties that would gain them entrance into the European Union.

Over 300,000 people joined a protest march demanding the end of discrimination against homosexuals in the USA.

American, James Richardson, was released after spending 21 years in prison for the murder of his seven children. The murder was actually committed by the children's babysitter, who later confessed to the crime.

An accident in the nuclear power plant of Tsuruga, Japan, caused more than 100 workers to become exposed to radiation.

The Carnation Revolution took place in Portugal overthrowing the "Estado Novo" dictaroship that had been established by Antonio de Oliveira Salazar in 1933. It was called the "carnation" revolution, because the revolutionaries help carnation flowers instead of guns, urging the soldiers not to fight and join them, which eventually they did.

American actress, Renee Zellweger, was born in Katy, Texas. In 1996 she was catapulted to instant fame after starring in the hit movie "Jerry Maguire" along with actor Tom Cruise.

A patent was granted for the first integrated circuit, the father of the modern microchip.

Russian politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan.

American actor, Al Pacino, was born in The Bronx, New York. He was a relative unknown when he was selected to play Michael Corleone in the hit movie "The Godfather". His grandparents originate from Corleone, Sicily.

The United States declared war on Spain.

Italian scientist, Guglielmo Marconi, was born in Bologna, Italy. He is credited with the invention of the radio and was the recipient of the Nobel prize in physics. He was also a member of the Italian fascist party and a member of Mussolini's Grand Council of Fascism.

Construction of the Suez Canal began.

Swedish astronomer, Anders Celsius, died at the age of 43 in Uppsala, Sweden. He was the inventor of the Celsius temperature measurement system which he proposed 2 years before his death.

Author, Daniel Defoe, published his landmark novel, Robinson Crusoe. It is considered one of the first (if not the first) novels to be written in the English language.