In a secret ceremony inside the antechapel at Sidney Sussex College (part of England's University of Cambridge), the head of Oliver Cromwell is given a final resting place as it is reburied, 302 years after his death. Cromwell had helped lead the overthrow and execution of King Charles I and took the title of Lord Protector as he governed the short-lived republic. Though some historical and scientific claims vary, the general consensus is that when Cromwell died in 1658, he was buried in Westminster Abbey. After Charles II restored the monarchy in 1660, Cromwell's body was disinterred, hanged and dismembered, with the head displayed on a spike to symbolize his treason. Through the years the head was sold and resold until it was finally returned to the college Cromwell had attended.
* More about Cromwell's remains:
@* Cromwell biographies:
@ (BBC) and
@ (Cambridge University Library)
* Charles I biography (British monarchy website):
@* The Cromwell Association: @
"The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments" was first published in 1960. It was later said to have been pulled from many library shelves -- many of the experiments were considered too dangerous, especially for kids. (It includes directions on making chlorine gas.)
The national observatory -- an hour southwest of Tucson, Arizona -- is dedicated. The space race with the Soviets had propelled the search for a facility that would be available to the entire astronomy community.
That was the title of an article in The Saturday Evening Post about the possibilities -- and challenges -- of electric cars. "An electric is the ideal economical urban-suburban family second car for shopping, child-fetching, going to a nearby job," the article says. 
Hugh Hefner opens the first Playboy Club (with Bunnies) in Chicago. The model for the Bunny suit (thought to have the ideal Bunny shape) was Suzy Leigh, 5-foot-2 with measurements of 37-23-32.
Demolition of Ebbets Field begins. It had been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers before the team moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. It was here in 1947 that Jackie Robinson made his debut as the first black major-leaguer. 
The Games open in tiny Squaw Valley, California, near Lake Tahoe. They are the first Winter Olympics to be televised in the United States, and would be the springboard for "instant replay," after judges ask CBS if they could review a videotape (they were checking to see whether a skier had missed a gate or not).
