This Day in History.

DEC. 13th.

1903 Tibet British Control: Great Britain wanted to maintain dominance in Tibet to counteract the Soviet Union’s control over Manchuria and other parts of Asia. Tibet would also act as a buffer between Soviet controlled zones and India.

1924 Great Britain France Wartime Debt: France’s World War I wartime debt to Great Britain amounted to 623,000,000 pounds and the French also owed the United States 798,000,000 pounds. Although the British government was going to approach France about repaying its debts, the British public was skeptical that France would ever pay anything back.

1930 U.S.A. Depression and Typhoid: Charlotte Dynn died in Milwaukee of typhoid fever and her family couldn't afford to feed their five remaining children, let alone pay for her funeral. However, during the Christmas season the funeral director, the cemetery’s executive, and a pastor all arranged a free funeral for Charlotte.

1937 China Rape of Nanking: Japanese forces capture the city of Nanking and Japanese General Matsui Iwane orders the city of Nanking to be destroyed. Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians. including the massacre of an estimated 200,000 and the rape and mutilation of at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages.

1939 United States Gone With The Wind Premiers: Gone With The Wind Premiers in Atlanta, Georgia. The movie adapted from the novel by Margaret Mitchell published in 1936. The movie, starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel set in the deep south tells a story of the Civil War and its aftermath from a white Southern viewpoint.

1944 France Allied Prisoners of War Freed: In Sarreguemines, France one thousand allied soldiers who had been German captives became free as the 39th division stormed their prison. The liberated group included Russian, Polish, Italian, Serbian, and Yugoslavian soldiers who smiled at their new liberty.

1950 U.S.A. James Dean: James Dean who is still unknown at that time appears in a Pepsi commercial, dancing with other teens around a jukebox 5 years before he becomes an icon for the teenage revolution in such films as Rebel Without a Cause

1953 Italy Italian architecture: After being repressed and occupied by Germans during World War II, Italian architecture is enjoying a renaissance. Expert, Joan Pringle, comments, “The contemporary movement is putting to use great wealth of imagination and integrity and is vigorously creating fresh, new forms which surpass in originality and beauty those of most all European countries.”

1959 Cyprus Archbishop Makarios: Archbishop Makarios is elected as the first President of the Republic of Cyprus in free elections winning with over 66% of the vote. His vice president is Dr Fazil Kutchuk a leading political figure from the Turkish community.

1966 Saudi Arabia King Saud: King Saud, previous king of Saudi Arabia was overthrown by his brother Fiesal. Saud was ailing and wanted to live in Egypt. Egypt’s president, President Abdul Gamel Nasser, who King Saud is suspected of trying to assassinate, allowed the ailing former king to come to Egypt.

1972 China Schistosomiesis Epidemic: Near Shanghai in communist China there was an epidemic of schistosomiesis, so of course when two specialists in this illness came to visit from the U.S., they instantly became celebrities. Dr. H. F. Hsu and is wife Dr. S. Y .Li Hsu were medical doctors born in China who became Americans and had not been back to China for 23 years.

1972 England Thalidomide: 300 British Thalidomide victims are being offered a compensation deal said to be worth £11.85 million over 10 years which is rejected by the victims. (Eventually an agreement is reached providing £20.00 million.)
It was sold in 50 countries around the world and is blamed for causing approximately 10,000 children to be born with severe malformations.
Thalidomide is approved today for the treatment of Leprosy and Multiple Myeloma but strictly controlled in it's use.

1978 U.S.A. Susan B Anthony Dollar: The first Susan B. Anthony (a key figure in the woman suffrage movement) dollar is minted but is not accepted by the public due to it's very similar appearance to the quarter.

1981 Poland Martial Law Imposed: Martial law and a state of emergency is imposed by Poland's military rulers. Leaders of the Solidarity trade union have been placed under arrest for inciting the unrest and the army are on the streets in a massive show of military strength imposing strict censorship and a curfew.

1988 Switzerland Yasser Arafat: Following the refusal of the US to grant Yasser Arafat a Visitors Visa the United Nations is convened in Geneva, Switzerland so that PLO chairman Yasser Arafat can address the U.N. General Assembly.

1989 Syria Release of Amed Jibril: President Hafez Assad, Syria’s president got an order from U.S. President George Bush to expel Amed Jibril or face being cut off from American diplomacy. Jibril was suspected of blowing up Pan Am flight 103 and killing 259 people, most of who were American citizens.

1995 England Brixton Riots: Hundreds youths take to the streets at Brixton, in south London attacking police, ransacking shops and burning cars.

1996 U.S.A. Kofi Annan: The U.N. Security Council chooses Kofi Annan of Ghana to be the United Nations seventh secretary-general.

1996 Ireland EU Finance Ministers: In Dublin, fifteen EU finance ministers debated for eleven hours about imposing fines on EU countries whose poor accounting practices jeopardized EU stability. The new common currency of the EU, the Euro, was to be launched in 1999. (MY COMMENT: TEST RUN FOR WORLD CURRENCY, FAIL.)

2000 U.S.A. Texas 7 Escapees: Seven prisoners escape from the John Connally Unit maximum-security state prison near Kenedy, Texas, they were captured in January and due to them shooting and murdering a police officer during a crime receive the death sentence.

2001 India Parliament Attacked: Gunmen have broken through tight security to attack the parliament building in the Indian capital, New Delhi leaving At least 12 dead and 22 injured.

2001 U.S.A. Osama bin Laden Video: The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded his ''most optimistic'' expectations.

2001 U.S.A. Pulls Out Of Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty: President George W. Bush served formal notice that the United States was pulling out of the More News and Events From 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

2002 European Union 10 New Members: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia are accepted into the European Union and will become members from 1st May 2004.

2003 Iraq Saddam Hussein: Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. forces at a farmhouse in Adwar, near his hometown of Tikrit.

2006 Iran Deny Holocaust: In Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to a crowd of people who deny the Holocaust ever existed and asserted, “The Zionist regime will be wiped out the same way the Soviet Union was, and humanity will achieve freedom.” Hostility over this meeting could have sanctions placed on Iran by the United States.

2006 Belgian TV prank: Belgians reacted badly to the news that their country had been split in two. It wasn't until later that they were told it was part of a spoof. The Belgian public television station R.T.B.F. ran the bogus report, which said that the Dutch-speaking half of the nation had declared its independence. R.T.B.F. said that the program was meant to stir up debate, and thousands of people made panicked calls. Politicians made a complaint to the station.

2006 United States The political manipulation of scientific work: Some ten thousand researchers have signed a statement protesting about political interference in their scientific work. The statement, which includes the backing of fifty-two Nobel Laureates, demands a restoration of scientific integrity in government policy-making and announcements. According to the American Union of Concerned Scientists, a lot of data is being misrepresented for political reasons. Al Gore’s lecture on Climate Change: The Role of Science and the Media in Policy Making took place on the same day, where he said that it was imperative that scientists tell the people what is happening to the world.

2007 U.S.A. Wall Street Journal: Rupert Murdoch buys Dow Jones & Co. which includes The Wall Street Journal for $5 billion-plus.

2007 U.S.A. Mitchell Report: Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone by Players in Major League Baseball is released which names 89 Major League Baseball players who are alleged to have used them.

2007 U.S.A. Democratic candidates debate in Johnston, Iowa: The Democratic candidates for the presidency have held their last debate before the nominating elections begin with the Iowa caucuses of January 3rd. Their discussion was more polite and genial than their previous encounters. The candidates outlined their positions on issues ranging from the economy to Iraq, trade, energy and human rights. Recent polls in Iowa have shown Barack Obama edging ahead of national frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

2007 EU Lisbon Treaty: E.U. leaders have signed a treaty in Lisbon that is expected to alter the way in which the 27-nation body operates. The treaty creates an E.U. president, as well as a more powerful foreign policy chief. The document, signed at a ceremony at the city's Jeronimos Monastery, also scraps veto powers in many policy areas. It has been signed as a replacement for the E.U. constitution, which was abandoned in the wake of French and Dutch opposition to it.

2007 Pakistan Musharaff takes control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal: Pervez Musharraf has put the country's nuclear weapons under the control of the president, rather than its prime minister. On issuing an ordinance the president must have it ratified by parliament within six months. This move comes amid concern abroad that the country's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamist extremists.

2009 England Buckingham Palace denies Prince William is taking on more duties: Buckingham Palace has that claims of Prince William taking over a substantial part of the Queen's duties are 'total and utter fabrication.' British Newspapers have reported that the Queen was passing on more tasks to her grandson. One newspaper has said that the monarch is cutting her workload owing to her age. A royal spokesman told the BBC that Prince William was gradually taking on more engagements but there were no plans to by-pass Prince Charles.

DEC. 14th.

1905 U.S.A. 1 in 10 Illiterate in US: Illiteracy in the U.S. was 106.6 per 1,000 persons. In 1900 statistics showed that 6,180,063 persons were illiterate in America. The Arizona Republican observed, “Illiteracy is more common in the country than in the city. This is due to the superior schools in the towns and the more general attendance of children.”

1911 The South Pole Roald Amundsen: Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, beating Robert F. Scott.

1924 France Ladies Fashion: The most recent trend in women’s fashion is to make clothes out of the hides of African animals.

1931 Great Britain Rolls-Royce buys Bentley: The worlds most recognized luxury car makers combine when Rolls-Royce buys Bentley.

1932 Great Britain Debt to US: Great Britain was to pay its debt borrowed in World War I to the U.S. of $95,550,000 in gold. The payment was going to be brought to New York as promised by Neville Chamberlain.

1944 Canada Conscription: Prime Minister Mackenzie King called for the conscription of 16,000 more men and this stirred up resentment and opposition in Quebec. However, in World War II there were more French Canadian soldiers than in World War I.

1947 U.S.A. NASCAR: NASCAR is formed and it's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1955 Great Britain Hugh Gaitskell: The British Labour party elects Hugh Gaitskell as its new leader following the resignation of Clement Attlee.

1962 Yemin Yemen Budget: In the past oil-rich countries of the Middle East have had leaders who were into conspicuous consumption and waste. However, Yemen had started a policy of fiscal responsibility and was making a budget for the government. Saudi Arabia had taken note of this and was considering implementing a budget for its leaders.

1962 Space Venus: The Mariner 2 space probe becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus (the probe itself is just over 3ft wide and 12ft long with 16 1/2 feet x 2 1/2 feet solar panels).

1972 Space Last Men To Walk On The Moon: Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan become the last men to walk on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.
The full list of the 12 men who have walked on the moon
1. Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 July 21, 1969
2. Buzz Aldrin Apollo 11 July 21, 1969
3. Pete Conrad Apollo 12 November 19-20, 1969
4. Alan Bean Apollo 12 November 19-20, 1969
5. Alan Shepard Apollo 14 February 5-6, 1971
6. Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14 February 5-6, 1971
7. David Scott Apollo 15 July 31–August 2, 1971
8. James Irwin Apollo 15 July 31–August 2, 1971
9. John W. Young Apollo 16 April 21-23, 1972
10. Charles Duke Apollo 16 April 21-23, 1972
11. Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17 December 11-14, 1972
12. Eugene Cernan Apollo 17 December 11-14, 1972

1976 India Uranium to India: President Jimmy Carter refuses to ship India twelve tons of uranium. India claimed that the nuclear fuel was for peaceful purposes – only to generate electricity. However, the U.S. was concerned that India was stockpiling spent nuclear fuel to make plutonium which could be used in nuclear bombs. India tested a nuclear bomb in 1974.

1984 Great Britain Arthur Scargill: Arthur Scargill is found guilty of two charges of obstruction during a picket at a Yorkshire coal works and was fined £250 and ordered to pay £750 in costs following a scuffle outside Orgreave Coal Works, near Sheffield, Yorkshire, on 30 May.

1986 Cuba Armando Valladares: Armando Valladares, who was imprisoned by Fidel Castro, has written a very unflattering book about the dictator. His prison memoirs titled, “Against All Hope” describe Castro’s extensive system of prisons and torture that Cuban political dissidents are subjected to.

1995 Bosnia Dayton Accord: Leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia sign the Dayton Accord in Paris to end more than three years of bitter conflict.

1997 Cuba Christmas Holiday: Pope John Paul II is due to visit Cuba and the Cuban President Fidel Castro declares Christmas 1997 an official holiday, the first time since his takeover Christmas will be a public holiday.

1999 Chechnya Russian Soldiers: Russian soldiers planted their flag in the second biggest city in Chechnya. The Russian military executed 180 bombing raids from the air since Friday and ground troops were trying to capture the capital of Grozny.

2000 U.S.A. AOL / Time Warner: The FTC approves the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.

2004 France Millau Viaduct: The worlds tallest vehicular bridge in the world Millau Viaduct spanning the Tarn River valley near Millauis and part of the A75-A71 is formally dedicated. The bridge which is a toll bridge opens to traffic two days later on the 16th.

2005 China Protesters: Twenty Chinese died after protesters demonstrated against the building of a power plant. However, Beijing worked hard to suppress the news in newspapers and even on the Internet, so the Chinese public did not know about it. The official government version that came out four days later was that 300 armed villagers attacked the police in Dongzhou.

2006 United States John McCain calls for more troops to be sent to Iraq: John McCain has called for more American troops to be deployed in Iraq to control the growing sectarian violence. Senator McCain was in Baghdad when he said that up to thirty thousand more troops should be sent to stabilize the country. McCain, a 2008 Republican presidential hopeful, said he agreed with a recent U.S. Iraq Study Group report that the situation in Iraq was serious. On December 13th, President Bush said he would not be rushed into deciding how to change his Iraq policy.

2006 United Nations Ban Ki-moon becomes the UN Secretary General: Ban Ki-moon is sworn in as the U.N. secretary general at a ceremony in New York. He will be taking up his post as the eighth secretary general on January 1st, 2007. He told ambassadors he would be a 'bridge-builder,' leading by example as he sought to restore trust in a U.N. that needed to be "dynamic and courageous.".

2008 Iraq Shoes thrown at George Bush: Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zaidi, threw shoes at President Bush during a news conference on Sunday evening in Baghdad, where Bush was making a farewell visit. Al-Zaidi missed the President, screamed in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog!" and "You killed the Iraqis!" He was pinned on the ground by security personnel and dragged away.

2009 United States Hillary Clinton urges Iran to release the American hikers: The Secretary of State has called on Iran to free the three U.S. citizens who crossed into Iran while hiking in Iraq. She was speaking after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that the three will stand trial, although he did not specify the charges. Mrs Clinton said that any charges would be unfounded. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were detained in July and have since been accused of illegal entry.

DEC. 15th.

1791 United States Bill Of Rights : The first 10 ammendments to the U.S. Constitution ( Bill Of Rights ) introduced by James Madison which limit the power of the U.S. federal government are ratified by three-fourths of the States, The Bill Of Rights protect the natural rights of liberty and property including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and bear arms.

1904 Jamaica Debt Ridden: Jamaica as a country was deeply in debt. It owed 5,000,000 pounds with a population of only 800,000 people. However, Britain could not help financially because the Boer War had cost 200,000,000 pounds.

1921 U.S.A. National Guard Called In: In Kansas the Kansas national guard was called out to subdue protesting women who were going from mine to mine attacking non-striking coal miners in the Pittsburgh coal field.

1935 France German Army: Leon Archibald, a French army expert, predicted that Germany under Hitler would soon have a military of 1 million soldiers by 1936, whereas France only had 654,000 soldiers. Germany’s military outnumbered France’s by 5 to 3.

1939 U.S.A. Gone With The Wind: The Movie "Gone With The Wind" based on the Pulitzer Prize Book Winner in 1937 starring Vivien Leigh (Scarlett O'Hara), Clark Gable (Rhett Butler) Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes) and Olivia de Havilland (Melanie Wilkes) has its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia.

1940 Italy Egypt Invasion: Benito Mussolini’s soldiers had invaded Egypt and were still there after three months, however their campaign was met with many calamities. They struggled with desert sand storms, salted water holes, and blown up wells.

1944 England Glenn Miller: Glenn Miller one of the best selling recording artists of his time is killed when his U.S. Army plane disappeared over the English Channel. Some of his most popular recordings include, "In the Mood", "Tuxedo Junction", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Moonlight Serenade", "Little Brown Jug", and "Pennsylvania 6-5000".

1953 Canada US Relations: Canadian-U.S. relations were at their lowest ebb in years. The American government even refused to allow Canadian planes to land in Tampa, Florida and the U.S. was angry over the alleged Russian spy, Igor Gouzenko incident. Americans felt that the Canadian government should have done more to help in rooting out Soviet espionage.

1961 China United Nations: China under Chiang Kai-shek applied to become a member of the United Nations and the General Assembly was to vote on it. The discussion went on for two weeks and the U.S. was opposed to China being a part of the U.N.. The U.S. had kept the issue at bay for a decade.

1967 U.S.A. The Silver Bridge: The Silver Bridge across the Ohio River collapses during rush hour and a number of cars fall into the icy water killing 46.

1973 Italy John Paul Getty III: John Paul Getty III who had been kidnapped in July is found safe and well after his grandfather paid the kidnappers $2.8 million for his safe return. During his kidnapping his ear was cut off and sent to the family to convince them the kidnappers were serious.

1974 England New Speed Limits: The British Government has imposed new speed limits to help with the conservation of fuel due to the large price increase of crude oil (from $3.00 a barrel to $10.00 a barrel) during the oil embargo by the Arab oil-producing countries (OPEC) on countries supporting Israel during the Arab-Israeli war.

1978 U.S.A. China Recognized: The American President Jimmy Carter announces America recognizes the People's Republic of China and cutoff all relations with Taiwan/Formosa. This was in response to China's claim that Taiwan was under the control of the People's Republic of China (PRC). (The ongoing dispute between China and Taiwan continues even now with the PRC claiming sovereignty) Taiwan does have it's own currency and government.

1979 Saudi Arabia Oil Prices: Fuel prices increased as a result of Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries raising the price from $18 to $24 a barrel. OPEC was convening in Venezuela to discuss oil prices.

1982 Gibraltar Access To Spain: After 13 years the gates connecting Gibraltar Known as the Rock have been opened to allow pedestrian access to Spain. (Currently Only Spanish citizens or inhabitants of Gibraltar are allowed across). The gates were closed during General Franco's Regime in 1969 as part of the siege of Gibraltar. Both the British government and the Spanish government would like sovereignty to move to Spanish control but the 30,000 inhabitants of Gibraltar have voted to stay under British control by large majorities in local referendum.

1987 Iran Persian Gulf: Iranian frigates were harassing and attacking ships in the southern Persian Gulf. Two Greek tankers were slightly damaged by them. Iran was patrolling the area trying to prevent any Iraqi (enemy) cargo from getting through.

1992 Haiti President Bush: A Haitian priest who is Roman Catholic claimed that President Bush was the victim of a voodoo hex. The priest claimed that the president could undo the curse by changing the U.S.’s foreign policy to Haiti. He said that the proof of Bush’s curse was the fact that the president vomited on the Japanese prime minister.

1999 Venezuela Mudslides: Heavy rains cause flooding and mudslides which kill thousands in shantytowns on the outskirts of Caracas.

2001 Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa: The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after a team of experts spent 11 years doing repairs to the tower without eliminating its famous lean.

2003 U.S.A. Strom Thurmond: The late Senator Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter by an African American household servant of the Thurmond family named Carrie Butler. Senator Thurmond had met his daughter when she was 16 and helped pay to put her through college.

2005 U.S.A. Winter Ice Storms: Winter Ice Storms cause Trees and power lines to fall which causes power outages for nearly 3/4 million people along the Atlantic coast with the worst effected areas being South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

2006 Iran Shiite Soldiers: Shiite soldiers stormed the Higher Education Ministry and kidnapped 50 officials. By the end of the day 117 persons were killed and doubt was thrown on Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki’s will to control Shiite militias.

2006 U.S.A. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II: Lockheed Martin test flights the next generation of joint Strike Fighter aircraft the F-35 Lightning II. The aircraft when finished development will be a Multi role aircraft able to deploy as a Stealth strike fighter or tactical bomber with three different models conventional takeoff, vertical takeoff and landing and a carrier based variant.

2006 Great Britain Prince William passes out of Sandhurst: Prince William has been commissioned as an officer in the British Army after passing out at Sandhurst. The Queen, Prince Charles and other members of the royal family attended the Parade, which marks the end of an officer cadet's training at the Royal Military Academy. Kate Middleton was watching the Parade. The 24-year-old prince is second in line to the throne.

2007 Bali, Indonesia Climate control: The world’s effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions is said to have got a new lease on life when delegates from 187 countries agreed to negotiate a new accord over the next two years. Many officials and environmental campaigners have said that the American negotiators remained obstructionist until the final hour of the two-week convention, and have changed their stance only after public rebukes that included boos and hisses from the other delegates. Agreement was reached after a U-turn from the U.S., which had wanted firmer commitments from the developing countries.

2009 United States Loud commercials to be restricted: Overly-loud television commercials have taken a closer step to being restricted when the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1084, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (C.A.L.M.) Act. The bill will prevent television advertisements from playing at a volume noticeably above the programs during which they air. Representative Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) drafted the bipartisan bill and has shepherded it through the House. She says that 'Under the C.A.L.M. Act, consumers will no longer have to dive for the mute button.' Loud commercials have been at the top of consumer complaints to the F.C.C. for decades.

DEC. 16th.

1773 United States Boston Tea Party : The Boston Tea Party was a culmination of protests against the Tea Act and about the extent of the British Parliament's authority over the British American colonies including new taxes, including one on tea, the colonists primary dispute was "no taxation without representation", the tea just offered a way to protest no representation for the colonies in the British Government. Following the decision of officials in Boston who refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor.

1907 South Africa Ethiopian Movement: The British were very concerned about the Ethiopian movement in South Africa. This movement had as its slogan “South Africa for the blacks” and its aim was to abolish British rule. The most radical group of rebels was the Zulu tribe.

1916 Russia Rasputin: Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian royal family, was murdered by a group of noblemen led by Prince Felix Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich .

1920 China Severe Earthquake: An earthquake measuring 8.5 magnitude on the Richter scale hits the heavily populated of Gansu province of midwestern China, causing the deaths of an estimated 200,000 people.

1926 U.S.A. Calls to Bolster the Navy: Congress appealed to President Coolidge for money to bolster a weak and embarrassing American Navy. They said that their navy was a third rate power and was behind France, Japan, and Great Britain.

1933 Germany Quits the League of Nations: Germany quit the League of Nations and Adolph Hitler was in power with his Nazi regime. Other European countries were nervous of Germany’s intentions; however, they were relying on negotiations instead of war at that point. France was threatened by Germany, but generally felt secure behind her fortifications.

1940 England Aircraft Production: British factories could manufacture a plane in two hours, making a total of a dozen planes a day. Although Nazi bombing raids had damaged some of the plane factories Britain was still producing plenty of aircraft for the war effort. The majority of steel for the planes came from the United States.

1950 U.S.A. Communist Threat: President Truman proclaimed a state of emergency to combat the growth of communism and delegated many of his own war powers to Charles E. Wilson, the new Mobilization Director of the Economic Stabilization Agency . As part of the measures to fight communism new price controls are put in place and new war production targets are set.

1950 Italy US Ambassador: Italy had a new ambassador from the United States. He was J.D. Zellerbach and was president of the Crown-Zellerbach Corporation. During World War II Italy awarded him the Knightly Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his mission in 1948-50.

1955 England Heathrow Airport: The Queen has opened new buildings in the centre of London Airport (renamed Heathrow Airport), part of a new complex designed to handle a growing number of air passengers. London Airport (Heathrow) was originally opened in 1946 but the new buildings were part of a planned extension Heathrow Airport now has four terminals with a fifth terminal under construction and is one of the world's busiest airports with over 65 million passengers per year.

1960 U.S.A. Plane Crash: A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide over New York City, killing 134 people.

1967 Canada Call For Quebec to Separate: General de Gaulle in France was encouraging Quebec to separate from the rest of Canada. The Newport Daily News explained, “Whereas practically all educated French learned English as a matter of necessity, any number of leading British Canadians knew little or no French … Canadian culture was almost exclusively British and American, with hardly a dash of French.”

1969 England Death Penalty Abolished: The British Parliament votes to abolish the death penalty in Great Britain, there had been a temporary ban on the death penalty since 1965.

1971 Pakistan Bangladesh: Two weeks after the Indian invasion of East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) in support of the independence movement, 90,000 Pakistani troops surrender to Indian forces.

1977 England Picadily Line to Heathrow: The Queen opens the new underground link on the Picadily Line from central London to Heathrow's terminals which will run every 4 minutes and take 40 minutes and cost 80 pence one way. (current price £3.80).

1978 Japan Massive New Store: Brooks Bothers and Daido Worsted Mills, were merging to create a 4,000 square foot store in Japan. This was an unusual move since Japan usually did not allow foreign companies to have the controlling interest in a joint Japanese company. Brooks was the oldest textile and retail manufacturer in the U.S. and Daido was a Japanese company.

1979 U.S.A. Increases in Gas Prices: As OPEC has increased prices and oil production over the last 12 months the price of gas continues to increase sharply, mostly due to the ongoing crisis in Iran. In just 12 months the price of gas has risen from just 63 cents at the end of 1978 to over a $1.00 per gallon today. It should also be noted the US government had produced Gas coupons for rationing due to panic buying and ongoing concern over supplies but had not issued them.

1985 U.S.A. Mafia Boss Shot: Paul Castellano the head of the Gambino crime family, then one of New York's largest Mafia families, is shot to death outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on the orders of John J. Gotti.

1989 China Sanctions Following Student Deaths: Sanctions were placed on China due to the death of student protesters and this was affecting Japan economically. Japan was the second largest investor in China. Since 1979 Japan loaned 770 billion yen to China and promised another 10 billion yen from 1990-1995. Japan did not resume trade with China, because the Japanese did not want to offend the United States.

1990 Haiti President: Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in the country's first democratic elections.

1997 Mexico Border Control: President Bill Clinton and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo joined forces to combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling along the 2,000 mile border between Mexico and the United States. President Clinton declared, “The United States and Mexico are working hard to forge a true partnership founded on mutual respect, a partnership as broad as our border is long.”

1998 Iraq US Air strikes: President Bill Clinton orders a series of air strikes against Iraq by American and British forces in response to Saddam Hussein's continued defiance of UN weapons inspectors.

2000 U.S.A. Colin Powell: The next President of the United States George W. Bush announces his selection for secretary of state, Colin Powell who will be the first African-American Secretary Of State.

2004 England Anti Terrorism: The United Kingdoms high court makes a ruling to the government's anti terrorism policy that it can not detain foreign suspects indefinitely without trial.

2006 Iraq Study Group: The Iraq Study Group report which is 96 pages long had just been released on the Internet and in book form. The study’s critics were busy quibbling over semantics and whether or not the U.S. administration’s actions were right or wrong. In one paragraph it read, “Iraq is vital to regional and even global stability, and is critical to U.S. interests. It runs along the sectarian fault lines of Shia and Sunni Islam, and of Kurdish and Arab populations. It has the world’s second-largest known oil reserves. It is now a base of operations for international terrorism, including al Qaeda.”

2006 Iraq Turkish bombing of Kurdistan: Turkey's air strikes against Kurdish rebels in Iraq are said to have been approved in advance by the United States. The country's top general, Yasar Buyukanit, said that the U.S. opened northern Iraqi airspace for the operation, and jets targeted the Kurdish rebel P.K.K. in areas near around the border. The Turkish media says that up to fifty planes were used. Iraqi officials said the bombs hit ten villages, leaving one woman dead. The P.K.K. have reported seven deaths.

2008 United States Governor Rod Blagojevich Impeachment: Illinois lawmakers have taken the first step towards impeaching Governor Rod Blagojevich by voting to begin an inquiry into the grounds for impeachment. If the inquiry determines that impeachment is warranted, the house will vote on whether to impeach him, and a trial in the state senate will follow. Blagojevich had been arrested the previous week for trying to sell the President-elect's Senate seat.

2009 Iran Iran test fires new missiles: Iran has successfully test-fired an improved version of one of their medium-range missiles. TV pictures have shown the launch of the Sajjil-2 rocket, which is said to have enough range to hit Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf. Correspondents say it has been tested before, but it is likely to add to the increased speculation on Iran's nuclear ambitions. The West is speculating that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies, and the U.S. says the test has 'undermined Iran's claims of peaceful intentions.'

2009 European Union The Swiss minaret ban goes to court in Europe: An appeal against last month's decision by Swiss voters to ban minarets has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The appeal has been lodged by an Algerian-born Muslim and a former spokesman for the Geneva Mosque. He wants the court to rule that the ban is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. Some 57.5% of Swiss voters and twenty-two out of twenty-six cantons voted in favour of the ban.

DEC. 19th.

1905 China Shanghai Riots: In Shanghai riots, looting, and a partly burned police station were the result of Chinese hatred of Americans and other foreigners. The atmosphere was similar to that which preceded the Boxer rebellion in 1900.

1921 Cuba Protesters: Thirty thousand protesters crowded together to denounce the Fordney tax. The demonstrators warned against “ruinous tariffs” on sugar and tobacco and that the United States would destroy all its work in Cuba.

1938 France Italy: Approval of France’s stern stand against Italian colonialism was shown by sheiks and Arab chiefs who were protesting in eastern Tunisia. They shouted “Long Live France!” and “Tripoli for us!”

1942 U.S.A. Eddie Rickenbacker: World War veteran and daredevil, Eddie Rickenbacker, was pulled out the Pacific Ocean after being lost at sea for 22 days. He and six other men would have starved to death, if they had not caught and eaten a sea gull. Rickenbacker was on a special mission in the South Pacific when he went missing.

1956 Great Britain Fog: Most of Great Britain, south of a line from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Blackpool has been blanketed in thick fog, with visibility in parts reduced to five yards (4.5 m) in places.

1957 USSR NATO Meeting: A meeting of NATO in France declared “the aim of the Soviet bloc is to weaken and disrupt the Free World.” However, shortly after Moscow radio blared that the West was trying “to mislead the public and camouflage the real nature of the talks.” The Soviet Union blamed the U.S. and the West for sabotaging peace.

1964 Panama Old Canal to Be Replaced: The old Panama Canal was to be replaced by a new Atlantic-Pacific canal in 10-15 years according to U.S. President Johnson. A new deal with Panama was to be struck and interested countries invited to participate.

1972 Uganda Idi Amin: General Idi Amin gives British workers an ultimatum to accept reduced pay or be expelled from Uganda in 12 days. This follows his taking control of British firms and interests in the country.

1976 Lebanon Beirut Airport Re-opened: Beirut’s international airport was closed since the Middle East 707 was struck by a rocket last June. The airport had antiaircraft guns of mostly Syrian origin keeping the peace, however today it was business as usual and outgoing flights were booked up for two weeks.

1979 U.S.A. Chrysler: Chrysler receives a $1.5 billion government loan to help put the company back on its feet.

1983 Costa Rica Possible Revolt: A Roman Catholic Bishop, Jose Ignacio Trejos Picado, warned that land controlled by only a few people was dangerous and could lead to revolt. He commented, “The recent invasions of land in several parts of the country by groups of peasants are evidence that there is poor land distribution.” Costa Rica had the highest standard of living in South America and the longest tradition of democracy. It did not have an army.

1984 Hong Kong Returned to Communist China in 1997: Hong Kong is to be returned to Communist China in 1997 after an historic agreement was signed in Peking between the British and Chinese Governments. The British colony of Hong Kong has been under British Rule for 155 years.

1989 USA Simpsons: The Simpsons featuring the Simpson Family including Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie debuts on Fox as a half-hour prime time show. The Simpsons has become the longest-running American sitcom and the longest-running American animated program. The program had originally been created as a series of shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show with the first showing on April 19, 1987.

1993 Yugoslavia Election: The socialist party looked like it was headed for a victory in the parliamentary election. However, it was expected to loose some seats due to the inflation, unemployment, war debts, and political turmoil in the country.

1994 Great Britain Rolls-Royce: Rolls-Royce, announces that its future cars would feature 12-cylinder motors manufactured by Germany's BMW.

1997 U.S.A. Titanic Movie: The movie "Titanic" one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time, opened in American theaters. The movie about the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 staring Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson).

1998 U.S.A. President Bill Clinton Impeached : President Bill Clinton is impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice.

2000 United Nations Afghanistan: The U.N. Security Council voted to impose broad sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they closed terrorist training camps and surrendered U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden.

2003 Libya Gives Up Chemical Weapons: Following political pressure and sanctions imposed by the United Nations Libya has announced an undertaking to destroy its arsenal of chemical weapons.

2006 United States Joseph Barbera dies: Joseph Barbera, one half of the people behind cartoon classics like The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and Huckleberry Hound has died, aged 95. He died at home with his wife, Sheila, by his side. Barbera had founded Hanna-Barbera with William Hanna in the 1950s, and the pair had worked on the Tom and Jerry cartoons at MGM studios before.

2006 United States The FBI release surveillance reports on John Lennon: The final pages of an F.B.I. surveillance report on John Lennon have finally been released. The documents show details about Lennon's ties to left-wing and anti-war groups in London in the early 1970's. Historian Jon Wiener told the L.A. Times that they showed Lennon rebuffed the U.K. leftists who asked him to fund a bookshop. Weiner has been working for twenty-five years to obtain the papers with the F.B.I. claiming they would compromise another country's security services.

2007 United States Copy of the Magna Carta is sold in New York: A rare copy of the Magna Carta is sold for $21.3 million in an auction at Sotheby's in New York. The copy, dating from 1297, is one of the only seventeen that are still in existence, and bought by U.S. businessman David Rubenstein. The auctioned item had been owned by American billionaire Ross Perot's Perot Foundation since 1984, and was on view at the National Archives in Washington. The original Magna Carta was sealed by King John of England in 1215, and enshrined civil rights in English law.

2008 United States General Motors and Chrysler bailed out: An emergency bailout of General Motors and Chrysler has been announced by President Bush which gives the companies a few months to get their businesses in order. Barack Obama will be handed the political task of ruling on their future. The bailout will be putting $13.4 billion into the companies by mid-January from the fund that Congress has authorized to rescue the financial industry. The two companies have until March 31st to produce a plan for long-term profitability, including concessions from unions, creditors, suppliers and dealers.

2008 United States Paris Hilton’s jewelry stolen: A burglar has broken into the Los Angeles home of socialite Paris Hilton and stolen jewelry worth about $2 million. The break-in occurred in the early hours of the morning at Miss Hilton's home in the Sherman Oaks area of L.A. Police have said a man wearing a hooded top and gloves broke in through the home's front door, ransacked Miss Hilton's bedroom and stole her belongings.

2011 North Korea accounces that North Korea's Leader Kim Jong Il Dies at 69.

DEC. 20th.

1900 Turkey Women's Role In Turkey: Abdul Homid, leader of Turkey would have liked to see women in his country secluded, but they were getting less so. Turkish women were often more educated than the men and the best Turkish newspaper was edited by females, some of who are authors.

1929 Switzerland Banking Headquarters: A large Swiss palace, built in 1783 along the Louis XVI style, was to become the new quarters of the Bank of International Settlements. Bankers and officials decided on this location after a meeting in Baden-Baden.

1933 Greece Samuel Insull: Chicago business mogul, Samuel Insull was no longer welcome in Greece after January 31. Insull was a fugitive from U.S. justice. He was wanted on charges of embezzlement and his passport had been cancelled by Washington.

1945 Germany Nuremburg Trials: At Nuremburg, Nazi doctors and soldiers were charged with cruel and bizarre torture of concentration camp prisoners. Experiments such as shooting poison bullets through the prisoners’ legs and oxygen deprivation of prisoners were only a few of the atrocities that were committed. Seven hundred and fifty thousand SS soldiers faced criminal charges for their participation in torturing victims.

1957 U.S.A. Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the United States Army on December 20th.

1957 U.S.A. Rockets In Europe: The U.S. wanted defensive rockets placed in Europe by 1959 and it sought to surround the Soviet Union with missiles. Production of 1,500 missiles made cut backs in the military’s home base operations. The U.S. had become nervous since the Soviet Union had placed two Sputniks in orbit.

1963 Germany Berlin Wall Opened For 1 Day Passes: The Berlin Wall is opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in East Berlin for the holidays.

1966 Thailand Female Writer: A tall Chinese female writer was thrown out of the press residence in Bangkok because of her sex. Su Yu-chen was a very popular writer in Taipei. She had covered the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and the Asian Games in Bangkok, however, she was rebuffed because she was the only female writer among 400 male reporters.

1968 U.S.A. Zodiac Killer: The Zodiac killer's first attributable murders David Arthur Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16 are found shot and killed in Benicia, California. The Zodiac killer taunted the police during his crimes by writing to newspapers with cryptograms and identifying himself as the Zodiac Killer. He claimed 37 murders but police files indicate 5 murders. Because of his taunts and having never been bought to justice his murders have been described as "The Perfect Crime".

1973 Spain Terrorists Kill Prime Minister: The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is killed in a terrorist car bomb attack in Madrid. The bomb was believed to have been planted by Basque nationalists.

1978 Saudi Arabia Oil Price Increase: The word of the Saudi Arabian Oil Minister was questioned when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries raised oil prices by 14.5% instead of the promised 5-10%. Stock markets were down and the government of Jimmy Carter was seen as ineffectual as the energy crisis escalated.

1979 England Right To Buy Council Houses: Mrs Thatcher's government will allow more than five million council house tenants in Britain the right to buy their home under new government proposals.

1987 Philippines Ferry Accident: The passenger ferry (Dona Paz) collides with an oil tanker near Manila in the Philippines leaving 4,000 dead. The accident is blamed on overcrowding with the ferry carrying more than twice its stated capacity.

1987 West Germany US Dollar: The depreciation of the American dollar had made U.S. good like cars much more popular in West Germany and other nations. Helmut Becker, a German automobile salesman said that two years before he could not sell any U.S. cars, however this year he sold 115 and he expects that will double in 1988.

1989 Panama Operation (Just Cause) : President George Bush launches Operation Just Cause and has sent US forces into the Central American country of Panama in a bid to oust dictator Manuel Noriega.

1990 Nigeria Lagos Worst City In The World: The Population Crisis Committee said that Lagos, Nigeria is the worst city in the world to live in, whereas the best cities to live in are Montreal, Melbourne, and Seattle-Tacoma. The best cities scored 100, but Lagos scored only 19. Half of Lago’s homes are without water and electricity and only one person in 100 has a telephone.

1995 England Charles and Diana Divorce: The Queen urges the Prince and Princess of Wales to seek "an early divorce".

1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina Peacekeeping: U.S. Admiral Leighton Smith, commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) assumes peacekeeping duties in Bosnia.

1999 U.S.A. Vermont Gay Rights: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections in the State of Vermont as wedded couples of the opposite sex.

2005 U.S.A. Transit Strike New York: New York City transit workers began a strike that shut down subways and buses for three days affecting millions of commuters . This was the third strike against New York City's Transit Authority in 70 years the first two were in 1966 (12 days), 1980 (11 days).

2006 Libya HIV: In Tripoli five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian physician were charged with knowingly giving 400 children the HIV virus. The accused were sentenced to death, despite substantial proof that the children already were infected with AIDS. Europe and the U.S. were angered at the verdict, but the people of Libya cheered.

2007 United States American World War I veteran: The oldest American World War I veteran has died in Ohio aged 109, leaving only two known U.S. soldiers from the conflict still alive. J. Russell Coffey died on December 20th according to a nursing home in the town of North Baltimore, Ohio. Mr. Coffey enlisted in the army in October 1918, about a month before the Allies and Germany agreed a ceasefire, and did not see action. Harry Landis, 108, and Frank Buckles, 106, are the other surviving U.S. veterans. More than 4.7 million Americans enlisted in the military between 1917 and 1918.

DEC. 21st.

1902 Ireland Flour Mills: A group of investors planned to spend $5,000,000-$15,000,000 to build flour mills in major cities in Ireland. The Irish flour business was failing due to importing grain from America and other countries.

1913 U.S.A. First Cross Word Puzzle: The first crossword puzzle was published, which was created by Arthur Wynne, a Liverpool journalist, and published as a "word-cross" puzzle in the New York World.

1923 Turkey Strong Porters: In Turkey their porters are reported to be the strongest men on earth. One porter can carry 100 pounds for 20 miles. They live on a diet of fruit and olives.

1933 Scotland Property Crimes: Property crimes with violence had increased in Scotland. In 1929 there were 954 property crimes and by 1932 there were 1528.

1937 U.S.A. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the first feature-length animated movie becomes a classic and a financial success helping Disney to create bigger and better animated movies over the next 70 years.

1946 Japan Tsunami: An undersea earthquake sets off a powerful tsunami that devastates Honshu, Japan sending 20 foot waves which obliterated buildings leaving 2,000 people dead and half a million homeless.

1948 China Economy: In northern China communist encroachment and the collapse of the anti-communist government of Chaing Kai-shek sent shock waves to the U.S. and the international economy. The market for American goods was diminished.

1956 U.S.A. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the first passengers of the new integrated bus system in Georgia where blacks and whites rode together.

1957 India Prime Minister Nehru: Prime Minister Nehru of India gave a speech in which he said that India wanted friendly relations with the U.S.. However, Nehru and his son Krishna Menon have often blasted the U.S. and tried to play them off against the communists.

1958 France General Charles de Gaulle: General Charles de Gaulle is elected President of France with a large majority.

1962 England Polaris Missiles: Britain is to buy a number of Polaris missiles from the United States as part of Btitains nuclear deterrent, it is designed to be fired from a submarine and will carry a nuclear warhead.

1966 Zambia President: Dr. Kenneth Katunda, President of Zambia, addressed the United Nations and said, “About twenty-four months ago, I stood on this rostrum representing the youngest of the family of independent and free nations.” Katunda said that Zambia had enjoyed being independent.

1970 U.S.A. Elvis Presley: President Richard M. Nixon enlists the help of Elvis Presley in his fight against drugs and invites him to the Oval Office. {MY COMMENT: OPPS!}

1977 Soviet Union Political Dissidents: Political dissidents in the Soviet Union were punished with exile and some found homes in the West. However, some exiled Soviets found it difficult adapting to life in the West and discovered that their political protests were not as effective as when they were confronting the KGB.

1985 Lebanon Terry Waite: Terry Waite, representing the Anglican Church, negotiated with Moslem kidnappers to try freeing their American captives for Christmas. He said that he would like to keep a low profile while the negotiations proceeded.

1988 Scotland Pan Am Flight 103: Pan Am Flight 103 the third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London's Heathrow International Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was destroyed by a terrorist bomb, and the remains landed in and around the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland Find

1991 Russia Commonwealth of Independent States: The birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States consisting of eleven former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

1993 U.S.A. Wellcome Plc: Two major drug companies – Warner-Lambert Co. and Wellcome Plc. were merging their over-the-counter medication industries to try capturing the worldwide market. Branches in Europe, Australia, and Canada were to open up and sales were projected at over $1.6 billion.

1995 Palestine Bethlehem: Bethlehem became one of the areas under the full control of the Palestinian National Authority in conformance with the Oslo Accords.

2006 Greece Esphigmenou: Esphigmenou, a 1,000 year old monastery seen to be the seat of Orthodox Christianity, was defended by monks brandishing crowbars and sledge hammers. Rebel monks lived in the monastery and refused to reconcile with the Vatican.

2006 North Korea North Korea nuclear talks end without agreement: Talks on North Korea's nuclear program today have ended with Pyongyang refusing to drop its demands for the US to lift financial restrictions. The six-party talks, held in Beijing, concluded without agreeement on the implementation of a 2005 accord, in which North Korea would be disarming in exchange for aid. The United States, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea had resumed talking after a thirteen month boycott by the North.

2007 South Africa Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has emerged as the top candidate in the vote for the National Executive Committee (N.E.C.) of South Africa's governing party. When the African National Congress (A.N.C.) announced the election of its National Executive Committee on December 21, 2007, Mandela was given first place. The ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela was endorsed by 2,845 of the 3,605 delegates in the conference, which took place in the northern town of Polokwane. She had not been active in the A.N.C. since 2003 (when she was convicted of fraud).

2007 England Tony Blair: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic. His wife and children were already Catholic, and there had been some speculation that he would convert after leaving office. Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O'Connor, who led the service to welcome Blair, said he was 'very glad' to do so, but ex-Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, herself a Catholic convert, has said that Blair's voting record as an M.P. had often 'gone against church teaching.' Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy, had said in 2006 that he had prayed to God when deciding whether or not to send U.K. troops into Iraq.

2008 Iran Police raid Iranian human rights group in Tehran: Iranian police have raided the office of a human rights group led by the Nobel laureate, Shirin Ebadi. The group has also been closed down. Judiciary officials have said that the center was acting as an illegal political party, and had contacts with local and foreign organisations.

DEC. 23rd.

1901 Turkey Americans Must Revoke Their Naturalization: In Syria officials demanded that all Americans must revoke their naturalization or be thrown out of Turkey. American charge d’affairs Spenser Eddy launched a protest on behalf of the Americans.

1927 China Conflict With Russia: Russia and China were in conflict following China’s foreign minister Tehecherin’s comment that he “could not tolerate the beastly slaughter of its officials, citizens, and sympathizers in Canton.” Soviet ships were commanded to return to Russia and Soviet citizens fled to avoid being killed by the Chinese.

1930 Greenland Britain Wants To Purchase: The New York Times claimed that there was a possibility that Great Britain wanted to purchase Greenland from Denmark. However, Canada had stakes in obtaining Greenland as well.

1944 Greece Greek statue from 510 B.C. found: A six foot Greek statue from 510 B.C. was found in good condition by a farmer who was ploughing. It was hidden from German soldiers by putting it in an Athens museum.

1947 USA Transistor Radio: Bell Labs demonstrates the worlds first Transistor Radio, Bell had also created the first transistor just a few months earlier. Many companies have claimed and are attribeted as the worlds first including Texas Instruments, Sony and the German firm Intermetall but it depends on how you view the quality of the radios , so I will leave that to others to judge.

1956 Egypt British French Troops Withdraw From Suez Canal: British and French troops withdraw from the Suez Canal this follows pressure from the United Nations to end the armed occupation of the Suez Canal.

1957 Japan Leftist Opposition: The government of Japan was blasted by leftists in a specially convened session of parliament. Conflict erupted over the acceptance of American “sidewinders” air-to-air missiles for the Japanese air force.

1967 North Vietnam US Prisoners: The North Vietnam Postal system sent back 231 Christmas presents mailed by spouses and parents of U.S. soldiers to their relatives held captive by North Vietnam.

1972 Nicaragua Earthquake: Ten thousand people are feared dead after a two-hour earthquake wiped out as an estimated 80% of buildings in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.

1975 U.S.A. To Much Time Spent On TV For US Kids: Jim Winters, writing in The Capital Times , pointed out that the typical American child who had reached the age of 18 spent 25,000 hours watching television and had seen 350,000 advertisements.

1978 U.S.A. Drinking Age Raised: Michigan becomes one of the first states to raise its drinking age to 21 over concerns about high school students drinking and driving.

1986 U.S.A. Voyager Non Stop World Flight: The experimental airplane Voyager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

1987 Germany Porsche: The luxury car company that made Porsches lost its president, 57 year old Peter W. Schulz, on December 31 and replaced him with Heinz Branitzki. Sales of Porsches declined precipitously and drastic reductions in production of the cars were made. Sixty per cent of Porches were sold to the U.S. which evoked criticism within Porsche circles.

1995 India Fire: A fire in Dabwali, India, kills 540 people, including 170 children.

1997 Russia Space Program Funding: Russian scientists who were the brains behind Russia’s military and space programs were not being funded anymore by their country. However, Western companies eager for their knowledge were supporting them financially.

2003 U.S.A. BSE Confirmed US: The first confirmed case of BSE is found in the United States, Only 3 cases are confirmed currently in the US compared with 180,000 in the United Kingdom.

2005 South East Asia Earthquake: An earthquake killed 87,000 people and left millions without homes. This was followed by an outbreak of bird flu and a spill of benzene and other chemicals in China’s Songhue River which poisoned the water supply of millions.

2006 United Nations The U.N. sanctions on Iran: The United Nations Security Council has unanimously imposed sanctions against Iran over its failure to halt uranium enrichment with Resolution 1737. The sanctions ban the supply of nuclear-related technology and materials, and impose an asset freeze on key individuals and companies. The U.S. representative warned that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons would make it less, not more, secure. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, and has vowed to continue.

2006 U.S.A. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a skiing accident: Arnold Schwarzenegger has broken his leg while skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho. The California Governor was taken to a local hospital for X-rays, which revealed he had fractured his femur. An Austrian, Mr Schwarzenegger is an experienced skier and frequent visitor to Sun Valley, where a piste has been named Arnold's Run after him. Three days later, in Santa Monica, he underwent surgery to repair the break.

2007 Iraq Turkish planes bomb Iraq again: Turkish warplanes have again bombed Kurdish rebels along the border of northern Iraq. Jabbar Yawer, a spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdish security forces has said that the raid lasted more than three hours, but that 'there was no damage or loss of life.' Turkey has now carried out three air strikes on northern Iraq in the past week, as well as a small ground incursion. The P.K.K., which is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the E.U. is thought to have about three thousand rebels based in Iraq. The Turkish government says that many of the rebels are holed up in the Qandil mountains.

2009 U.S.A. Hoax Balloon Boy’s parents given jail sentences: The man who triggered a major alert by falsely claiming that his son was adrift in a helium balloon has been sentenced to ninety days in jail, and his wife to twenty. Richard Heene, and his wife Mayumi, said in October that their son had been carried off by the balloon. The boy was eventually found hiding at home. Heene apologised to rescue workers and the community in the Colorado courtroom. The judge ordered four years of supervised probation for the couple and banned them from receiving any form of financial benefit from the case.

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