XCOR Aerospace makes the first crewed rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California.
NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however.
Taiwan holds its first full local elections; James Soong elected as the first and only directly elected Governor of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian became the first directly elected Mayor of Taipei, Wu Den-yih became the first directly elected Mayor of Kaohsi...
A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.
In a meeting off the coast of Malta, U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact may be coming to an end.
Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom later died from their injuries) in one of the worst industri...
Iranian Revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war begins.
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky).
Soviet Union, Space probe of the Luna program, called Luna 8, is launched, but crashes on the Moon.
The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
President Herbert Hoover delivers his first State of the Union message to Congress. It is presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech.
Following more than a month of Turkish–Armenian War, the Turkish-dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with the Ottoman Empire, temporarily halting the First Balkan War. (The armistice will expire on February 3, 1913, and hostilities will resume.)
Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California's Lick Observatory.
In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a 20,000-word report to the House of Representatives asking Congress to curb the power of trusts "within reasonable limits". The speech was not delivered in person.
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0, in what is considered to be the first all-star game for professional American football.