On this day in 1848, George Stephenson died at the age of 67. He was the British railway pioneer who built the first passenger railway in 1825. He also developed the first practical steam locomotive, the "Rocket."
On this day in 1877, a group of people witnessed a public demonstration of a new device, a phonograph that records the human voice. They saw it at Thomas Edison's "invention factory" at Menlo Park, New Jersey.
On this day in 1908, the Ford Motor Co. introduced its Model T car, a sturdy, black, four-cylinder number that came in two versions: tourer and roadster. The roadster retailed at US$825 and the tourer for just US$25 more.
On this day in 1978, Taiwan's fastest electrified train, the Tzu Chiang Express, made a test run between Taipei and Taichung.
On this day in 2008, Georgia announced withdrawal from the grouping of former Soviet republics, formally known as the Commonwealth of Independent States, amid an escalation of hostilities with Russia.