1879: Thomas Edison first demonstrated his electric incandescent lights for the public by illuminating some 100 bulbs in and around his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J.

In the world

2019: The health commission in the central Chinese city of Wuhan announced that experts were investigating an outbreak of respiratory illness and that most of the victims had visited a seafood market in the city; the statement said 27 people had become ill with a strain of viral pneumonia, which would eventually be known as COVID-19.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Anthony Hopkins is 87. Rock musician Andy Summers is 82. Actor Ben Kingsley is 81. Filmmaker Taylor Hackford is 80. Fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg is 78. Actor Tim Matheson is 77. Actor Bebe Neuwirth is 66. Actor Gong Li is 59. Author Nicholas Sparks is 59. Businessman Donald Trump Jr. is 47. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Gabby Douglas is 29. — The Associated Press