1820 – Russian Antarctic Expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
1825 – US Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for the forced relocation of the Eastern Indian tribes via the “Trail of Tears”
1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for “the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge”
1924 – Lenin placed in Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow
1944 – Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed
1945 – Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland
1973 – US & North Vietnam’s William Rogers & Nguyen Duy Trinh sign cease-fire, ending longest US war and military draft
1983 – Seikan Tunnel, the world’s longest tunnel with an underwater segment (53.90 km in total) opens connecting Honshu-Hokkaido. The Channel Tunnel remains the longest underwater tunnel.
1996 – 15 day old conjoined twins separated: Sarah Morales survives, Sarahi dies
2013 – 20 police officers have been killed in a series of bomb attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan
2017 – Donald Trump issues executive order banning travel to the US for 7 mostly Muslim countries and suspending admission for refugees
2018 – Bomb in an ambulance kills over 100 people in Kabul, Taliban claim responsibility
2019 – Landslide kills 15 at a wedding party in a hotel in Abancay, Peru
2020 – Former king of Belgium, Albert II admits fathering a child after DNA tests confirm paternity
Film & TV:
1970 – Movie rating system modifies “M” rating to “PG”
Music:
1956 – “Heartbreak Hotel” single released by Elvis Presley, his first million-selling single
Sport:
1894 – 1st college basketball game, University of Chicago beats Chicago YMCA 19-11
2013 – Spain defeats Denmark to win the 2013 World Men’s Handball Championship
