1565 – Compromise of the Nobles in Habsburg Netherlands closes against inquisition
1814 – Treaty of Ghent signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies
1936 – 1st radioactive isotope medicine administered in Berkeley, California
1943 – US President FDR appoints General Eisenhower Supreme Commander of the Allied forces
1951 – Idris I, head of the Sanūsiyyah (a Sufi Muslim brotherhood), was proclaimed king of an independent United Kingdom of Libya.
1979 -The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to aid the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist Muslim guerrillas during the Afghan War.
1990 – Saddam Hussein says Israel will be Iraq’s 1st target
1992 – US President George H. W. Bush pardons Caspar Weinberger for Iran-contra affair
1994 – Four Muslim fundamentalists capture Air France pilot in Algiers
1997 – The Dominican Republic becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty
1999 – Opening of St Peter’s Holy Door by Pope John Paul II in approach of 3rd millennium
2000 – The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery
2001 – “Time Magazine” names New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ‘Person of the Year’, for leadership after 9/11 attacks
2003 – Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid’s busy Chamartín Station.
2012 – 11 kindergarten children are killed after a minivan plunges into a roadside pond in Jiangxi, China
Births & Deaths:
1997 – Japanese actor Mifune Toshirō, known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters, especially in films directed by Kurosawa Akira, died near Tokyo.
Film & TV:
1922 – BBC broadcasts first British radio play “The Truth about Father Christmas”
Music:
1871 – Giusseppi Verdi’s “Aida” opera premieres in Cairo
Sport:
1889 – Daniel Stover & William Hance patent bicycle with back pedal brake
1982 – Chaminade, with a student body of only 850 students, beats #1 ranked Virginia 77-72 in a Honolulu holiday basketball classic
Via Britannica / On This Day
