1896

An Austrian newspaper reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen of a new type of radiation that came to be called “X-rays.”

1925

Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as the first female governor in United States history.

1933

Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco; the bridge was completed in May 1937.

1953

Samuel Beckett’s two-act tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot,” considered a classic of the Theater of the Absurd, premiered in Paris, France.

1957

President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression in what became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

1980

“Rapper’s Delight,” by The Sugarhill Gang, became the first hip-hop song to reach the Billboard Top 40.

Birthdays

Actor Robert Duvall is 94. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is 84. Actor Diane Keaton is 79. Actor Vinnie Jones is 60. TV personality Carrie Ann Inaba is 57. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 56. Actor-filmmaker Bradley Cooper is 50. Actor January Jones is 47. Actor Mike Faist is 33. Actor Walker Scobell is 16.