The French continued to keep a close eye on the situation in Gabon, and still keep one of their military bases there (Camp de Gaulle). On August 17, 1960, independence was achieved by one of today's richest African countries - Gabon. Gabon's wealth i...
Today, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Due to its high natural growth, Indonesia is catching up with the US, and could surpass it in population in the 2040s. On August 17, 1945, Indonesia declared independence from the Net...
On August 17, 1887, Charles of Habsburg, the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, was born. He was born to Princess Maria Joseph of Saxony, who was the wife of Archduke Otto Francis of Austria (younger brother of the famous Archduke Francis F...
The music for today's Serbian anthem of God of Justice was composed in 1872 by Davorin Janko, who was actually a Slovene. On August 17, 2004, the Republic of Serbia adopted the composition of God of Justice as its anthem by the recommendation of the...
Mark Spitz managed to win only 7 of them in Munich. Phelps also holds the absolute record in the total number of Olympic golds in his career with 28 of them, 23 of which are gold. Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on Au...
His wife supported him during the scandal, and she even told NBC that it was all a big right-wing conspiracy against her husband. On August 17, 1998, US President Bill Clinton uttered the famous words: "I did not have sex with that woman." He stated...
The first space probe in human history to successfully land on another planet was launched on this day in 1970. The probe in question was called Venera 7 (Венера-7, Venus-7), and needed slightly under four months to travel from Earth to Venus. The pr...
One of the most controversial state boundaries in the world, the one dividing Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India, was officially declared on this day. The most interesting fact about this boundary line was that it was drawn almost exclusively by one man...
German field marshal Wilhelm List died on this day in 1971. He was born near the city of Ulm in Württemberg, in the immediate vicinity of the Bavarian border. Wilhelm List became a member of the Bavarian army in his youth (Bavaria was once a kingdom...
Blessed Charles I of Austria was born on this day in 1887. His mother was Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, the wife of Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (the younger brother of the famous Archduke Franz Ferdinand). After his uncle Franz Ferdinand was k...
This day in 1977 marked the first time in history that human beings reached the North Pole by ship. This endeavor was undertaken by Soviet icebreaker Arktika. Namely, Arktika class icebreakers are the largest and most powerful in history. They are nu...
On this day, Elvis Presley, called the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, died aged 43 at home in Graceland Mansion, Tennessee. He was found dead on the floor of his bathroom, and all attempts to revive him failed. The cause of his death remains unknown to this...
The last Chinese emperor Pu Yi was captured by Soviet troops on this day in 1945. This occurred one day before Japan surrendered to the Allies in World War II. Pu Yi was the emperor of the vassal state of Manchukuo (in Manchuria) during the Japanese...
This day in 1891 marked the consecration of the only steel church in Asia – San Sebastian Church in Manila on the Philippines. It also seems to be the only church in the world made from previously prepared steel parts. This building technique remains...
Taizé is an international ecumenical monastic society, popular among Christians of various denominations, including Catholics. Taizé promotes the unification of Christians and is particularly focused on young people, for whom it organizes meetings an...
James Cameron, one of the most celebrated film directors of today, was born on this day in 1954. He was born in Canada, in Kapuskasing, Ontario, some 200 km from the U.S.-Canada border. It is interesting that Cameron’s ancestors were of Scottish heri...
One of the most important ship canals in the world, the one bisecting the state of Panama in Central America, was declared open on this day. The Panama Canal was the greatest American engineering venture to date and is considered to be one of the won...
Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military conquerors in world history, was born on this day in 1769. He was born in the city of Ajaccio on Corisca, as the fourth of 13 children. Napoleon’s Bonaparte family (spelled Buonaparte in Italian) lived...
The Arab state of Bahrain, situated in the Persian Gulf, achieved its independence on this day in 1971. Bahrain is a wealthy country, but covers only a small area – only 765.3 square kilometers. The greater part of the country is located on the islan...
The famous Woodstock festival, a musical festival which attracted a very large number of hippies, was held on this day in 1969. It is interesting that the festival wasn't actually held in the town of Woodstock. Namely, the town of Woodstock in the U....
On this day in 1960 the Republic of Congo with its capital Brazzaville achieved independence. This Congo, which used to carry the name Zaire, should not be confused with the neighboring country called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This neighb...
On this day in 1941 Catholic priest and Franciscan Conventual Friar St Maximilian Maria Kolbe died in the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz. Kolbe became one of most prominent saints of the 20th century. The Nazis had interred him because he state...
On this day, the completion of the famous Cologne Cathedral was solemnly announced. The Cathedral is one of the greatest symbols of Catholicism in Germany. It is an exceptionally large building, and was the tallest one in the entire world at the time...
Nazi politician Baron Konstantin von Neurath died on this day. He is best-known for being the Third Reich’s foreign minister from 1932 until 1938. As the head of the German diplomacy, von Neurath gave a considerable contribution to the early phase of...
On this day the famous Italian automobile designer Enzo Ferrari died. He died in the town of Maranello, known to many car enthusiasts as the headquarters of the Ferrari factory. The town is located not far from Modena, Enzo’s home town. Ferrari died...
On this day Prussian King Frederick Wilhelm I, who was also called the "Soldatenkönig" (Soldier-King), was born. Already at birth he became the nominal commander of a military detachment because his father wanted his son incorporated within military...
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the German princess after whom the city of Adelaide in South Australia is named, was born on this day in 1792. Adelaide is today a city with over one million inhabitants and the fifth largest in the whole of Australia (aft...
This day in 1942 marked the official beginning of the Manhattan Project, within which the first American nuclear weapons were made. The story of how the project got its name is particularly interesting. Namely, officer Leslie Groves was assigned as t...
On this day in 1918, the BMW company was registered as a joint stock company. The abbreviation BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works). The company was founded back in 1916, as BMW GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung –...
On 13 August 1792 Parisian revolutionaries arrested King Louis XVI and the royal family, including Queen Mary Antionette, the king’s son and heir to the throne, the king’s daughter, and the king’s sister Madame Elisabeth. All were interred in the not...
