On this date

In 1892,

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1912,

fossil collector Charles Dawson reported to the Geological Society of London his discovery of supposed early human remains at a gravel pit in Piltdown. (More than four decades later, Piltdown Man was exposed as a hoax.)

In 1916,

during World War I, the 10-month Battle of Verdun ended with French troops succeeding in repulsing a major German offensive. Casualty estimates for the battle range from more than 700,000 to 1.25 million.

In 1917,

Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” and sent it to the states for ratification.

In 1944,

the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s wartime evacuation of people of Japanese descent from the West Coast while also ruling that “concededly loyal” Americans of Japanese ancestry could not be detained.

In 1972,

the U.S. began heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets during the Vietnam War. (The bombardment after 11 days.)

Ten years ago:

The White House said President George W. Bush had approved “a significant reduction” in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, cutting it to less than onequarter its size at the end of the Cold War.

Five years ago:

Two bank robbers escaped from downtown Chicago’s high-rise jail by scaling down 17 stories using a makeshift rope. (The robbers were later recaptured.)

One year ago:

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a military camp in the Yemeni city of Aden, killing at least 52 soldiers; the Islamic State group’s Yemen-based affiliate claimed responsibility.