1991: Somaliland Declares Independence from Somalia
Somaliland historically belonged to the British colonial Empire, while the rest of Somalia had been under the Italian sphere. On this day in 1991 Somaliland declared its...
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1974: India Detonates its First Nuclear Bomb
On this day in 1974, India detonated its first nuclear bomb. The test was conducted in the middle of the Thar Desert, at the location called “Pokhran Test Range...
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1804: How Napoleon Got Hold of the Distinguished Title of Emperor
On this day in 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French (French: Empereur des Français). It was, of course, a turning point in European history since...
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1995: Shawn Nelson Stole a Tank and Created Chaos on the Streets
On this day 35-year-old Shawn Nelson, a resident of San Diego in California, stole a military tank from the armory of the U.S. National Guard and drove it through the str...
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1997: Zaire Renamed Congo after the Fall of Mobutu
It was just one of many names that were changed under Mobutu’s regime. Others included the change of Léopoldville to Kinshasa. Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic o...
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1959: Magnificent Christo Rei Sculpture Consecrated in Portugal
The image of Christ the King (Cristo Rei) near Lisbon is of similar dimensions to the image of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The sculpture of Christ the King (Cr...
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1792: World’s Largest Stock Exchange Founded Under a Treetop
On this day 24 brokers gathered under the branches of a buttonwood (sycamore) tree on Wall Street and signed an agreement regulating their business. This day is considere...
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1770: Wedding of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI
On this day in the royal palace at Versailles, young Marie Antoinette and Dauphin Louis, as the future king of France (“Dauphin” is the title of the French heir to the th...
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