On this day in 1886, in Atlanta, American pharmacist John Pemberton first sold his carbonated beverage Coca-Cola as a patent medicine, claiming that it cured a number of diseases.
On this day in 1970, the Hard Hat Riot occurred in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clashed with demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
On this day in 1980, the World Health Organization confirmed the eradication of smallpox.
On this day in 1984, the Soviet Union announced that it would boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.