Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board.
A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287.
World War II: 317 Greek civilians are murdered by soldiers of the German 1st Mountain Division in the village of Kommeno, Greece.
World War II: US Navy L-class blimp L-8 drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found.
The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks.
The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.
Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. Next day, Chapman will become the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game.
The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed.
Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.
U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
Three African soldiers in the 1st West India Regiment – Daaga, Edward Coffin and Maurice Ogston – were executed for their role in the St. Joseph Mutiny in the British colony of Trinidad.