In 1910, Lilian Bland designed, built, and flew the Mayfly in Ireland; before its fuel tank arrived, she tested the engine using an empty whiskey bottle and her aunt's ear trumpet as…

On her 63rd birthday in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first known person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel of her own design.

In 1859, San Francisco resident Joshua Norton proclaimed himself Norton I, Emperor of the United States, then issued decrees and became a celebrated figure in the city.