On this day in 1842, the first documented discovery of gold in California occurred at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.
On this day in 1959, the Barbie doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
On this day in 1960, Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implanted for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis.
On this day in 1961, Sputnik 9 successfully launched, carrying a human dummy nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich, and demonstrating that Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.