This Day In History
1945 - Allies land on west coast of Burma, conquer Akyab. 1947 - 1st opening session of Congress to be televised. 1948 - Bradman completes dual Test tons (132 & 127*) v India MCG. 1956 - A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower. 1958 - Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland. 1958 - The West Indies Federation is formed. 1959 - Alaska admitted as 49th US state. 1961 - US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba. 1970 - Marxist government takes over in Congo. 1974 - Arias Navarro succeeds Carrero Blanco as premier of Spain. 1974 - Burma accepts its constitution. 1977 - Apple Computer, Inc incorporates. 1977 - Former Home Secretary Roy Jenkins announces his intention to be Britain’s first President of the European Commission. 1980 - Babrak Karmal defends the Soviet-backed coup in first public appearance since taking power as President of Afghanistan. 1984 - Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson. 1985 - Israel government confirms resettlement of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews. 1988 - Israel orders 9 Palestinian “instigators” deported from W Beirut 1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British PM this century. 1990 - Panama’s leader Gen Manuel Noriega surrenders to US authorities. 1991 - Israel reopens consulate in USSR after 23 years. 1993 - In Moscow, the Start II arms reduction treaty is signed by George H. W. Bush (USA) and Boris Yeltsin (Russia). 1994 - 100s killed in Venezuela in prison revolt. 1994 - Tupolev-154M crashes at Irkutsk, Siberia: 122 killed. 1994 - 35-foot-tall Chief Wahoo, trademark of Indians on top of Stadium since 1962, is taken down, to be moved to Jacob’s Field. 1994 - Restoration of South African citizenship, announced on 15 December 1993 by the South African parliament led by President F. W. de Klerk, becomes effective four months before the first South Africa non-racial polls of 27 April, 1994. 1996 - The first flip phone, the Motorola StarTAC, goes on sale. 1999 - Israel detains, and later expels, 14 members of Concerned Christians. 2002- The Palestinian freighter Karine A is seized by Israeli forces in the Red Sea 2004- After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasem gives up the hosting duties of "American Top 40" to Ryan Seacrest 200 - Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board. 2009- Israeli ground forces invade Gaza. 2009- The Bitcoin network is created as the first block of the digital currency is mined by a person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto 2013- 27 Shiite pilgrims are killed and 60 are injured by a suicide bombing in Musayyib, Iraq 2015- Over 2,000 people are killed in north-east Nigeria after Boko Haram militants raze the town of Baga 2018- First bionic hand with a sense of touch, for use outside a lab unveiled in Rome 2018- Lawyers of US President Donald Trump try to stop the publication of book on Trump's administration "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolff 2018- Previously unknown ancient Beringians group of people unearthed in Alaska, earliest known Native Americans at 11,500 years old 2018- Security expert reveal two security flaws, Meltdown and Spectre which affect most microprocessors 2019- Archaeologists in Mexico announce discovery of pre-Aztec temple to god Xipe Tótec in Puebla state (dated 900-1150 AD)