1848

James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California, a discovery that sparked the California gold rush.

1984

Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128K of RAM.

1989

Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair. One of the nation’s most notorious criminals of the late 20th century admitted to 30 rapes and murders committed in the 1970s.

2013

President Barack Obama’s Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the lifting of a ban on women serving in combat. – From wire reports