The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was established by 12 founding nations in Washington D.C., creating a mutual defence alliance that defined Western security throughout the Cold War and beyond.

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination triggered riots in over 100 American cities.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The software company would go on to become one of the most valuable corporations in history, putting a personal computer in every home.