For the first time ever, the popular music group the Beatles had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Shortly afterwards, they played their first American concert at the Coliseum. The Beatles had come a long way-literally. They originated from England, and were told that they "could not carry a tune across the Atlantic". In the early days they were though of to be no more than a fad. That of course was proven wrong many times over.

The daguerreotype photo process was announced at the French Academy of Science. Previous photographic processes required hours of exposure, but the daguerreotype (named after its inventor Louis Daguerre) needed only a few seconds. The plate was prepared with a layer of photo-sensitive silver halide, was exposed, developed using mercury vapor, and fixed in a solution of sodium hyposulphite. The image remains delicate, and must be protected under glass against damage by touching. The daguerreotype was produced with a direct positive image, needing no intermediate negative, but thus could not yield multiple reproductions made possible by later photographic processes.