Astronomers announced the detection of sodium in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b (artist's impression pictured), the first exoplanet atmosphere to be measured.
The Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the New Zealand general election, with Labour's Helen Clark becoming the country's first female prime minister to have won office at an election.
A bomb placed by the Medellín Cartel in an attempt to kill Colombian presidential candidate César Gaviria destroyed Avianca Flight 203, killing all 107 people on board, excluding Gaviria, who was not on the flight.
President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the "Let Us Continue" speech, in which he advocated for civil-rights legislation and national cohesion, to a joint session of the U.S. Congress five days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.