On This Day…

1949 – On this day in 1949, a constitution went into effect in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany that formed the country of East Germany, which existed alongside West Germany until 1990, when the two Germanys reunited.

1952 – Russian politician Vladimir Putin, who served as president and prime minister of Russia, was born.

1959 – Far side of Moon seen for the 1st time, courtesy of USSR’s Luna 3 space probe.

1985 – Four Palestinian terrorists board the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro shortly after it left Alexandria, Egypt, in order to hijack the luxury liner.

2001 Triggered by the September 11 attacks, the Afghanistan War began, as U.S. and British warplanes started bombing Taliban targets.

2008 – Music, podcast, and video streaming service Spotify is launched by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon

Via Britannica / On This Day