René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, often referred to as the father of modern philosophy. He is famously known for the philosophical statement "I think, therefore I am" and developed the Cartesian coordinate system.
Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with Japan, opening the country's ports to American trade and ending its isolationist policy.
The Eiffel Tower is officially inaugurated in Paris to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution at the 1889 World's Fair.
The United States first implements daylight saving time to conserve energy during World War I, following the passage of the Standard Time Act.