1883 – American and Canadian railroads create and begin to use four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move demonstrated the power of the railroad companies.
1928 – Cartoon character Mickey Mouse appears for the first time in Steamboat Willie. It was the first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon film produced by Walt Disney.
1966 – L.A. Dodgers ace pitcher Sandy Koufax retires at age 30 after a stellar season leading the Dodgers to a National League pennant and winning his 3rd Cy Young Award. He suffered from chronic arthritis.
1978 – Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones leads hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at the agricultural commune in a remote part of Guyana in South America. Over 900 people died.
