On this day in 1903, Marie Curie, the Polish-born French chemist and scientist, announced the discovery of radium, remarkable for its spontaneous disintegration, and other elements.
On this day in 1978, the rainbow flag representing gay pride was flown for the first time in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
On this day in 1990, reporters from mainland China were permitted to visit Taiwan for news-gathering purposes, and government employees from Taiwan were allowed to visit sick relatives or attend funerals across the Taiwan Strait.
Jacques Cousteau, French underwater explorer and film producer, died in Paris on this day in 1997. He was 87. The veteran oceanographer helped develop the aqua-lung in 1943, and popularized underwater exploration with his prize-winning films.