1736- James Watt, Scottish inventor of the Watt steam engine, is born.
This Day in History
1980- Gold reaches $1,000 per ounce.
1861- Hans Goldschmidt, inventor of the thermite welding process, is born.
1706- Benjamin Franklin, discoverer of electricity, is born.
1862- Part of a pumping engine falls into the pit of a Hartley Coal Mine in England, trapping workers below. As a result, 204 die.
1910- Construction finishes on the 107-meter-tall Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, U.S.A.
1916- the man-made Zuiderzee dike in the Netherlands cracks.
1942- The patent for constructing plastic auto bodies is granted to Henry Ford.
1905- The baroque revival-styled Parliament House opens in Stockholm, Sweden.
1864- Charing Cross Station, a central rail station, opens in London, England.