1852 – Henry Wells and William Fargo join to form a shipping and trading company to serve the needs of those taking part in the California Gold Rush. Wells Fargo is now one of the nation’s largest banks.
1892 – Lord Stanley of Preston pledges to donate a challenge cup for the best ice hockey team in Canada. Today the Stanley Cup is the world’s most prestigious ice hockey trophy.
1965 – Russian cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov becomes the first per to walk in space. His tethered spacewalk lasted 12 minutes.