NASA astronaut and naval aviator Alan Shepard is born in Derry, New Hampshire. Shepard became the first American into space as the pilot of the Freedom 7 mission and later walked on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission.
American and Canadian railroad companies institute five North American time zones, beginning at noon. Railroad timetables were being disrupted by the thousands of local time zones in North America that all centered around high noon.
The United States and Panama sign the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, establishing American control over the Panama Canal Zone. The United States retained control of the Panama Canal until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter negotiated the gradual transition to Panamanian control.
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