EVENTS
- 2 – Venus and Jupiter were in conjunction. This is often considered the Star of Bethlehem.
- 1866 – President Andrew Johnson formally declares the Civil War over.
- 1920 – In Detroit, MI, the first commercial radio station begins operations.
- 1938 – Lou Gehrig hits his record 23rd career grand slam.
- 1940 – Leon Trotsky is attacked in Mexico. Russian revolutionary and founder of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky was attacked in his home by an undercover agent of the Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs or N.K.V.D. He died a day later due to the injuries sustained during the attack.
Leon Trotsky - 1960 – Senegal withdraws from the Mali Federation. Senegal withdrew from the Mali Federation, a year after its establishment. Léopold Senghor became the first president of Senegal a month later.
- 1975 – Viking 1 is launched by NASA using a Titan launch vehicle. It became the first space probe to successfully land on Mars.
- 1988 – The Iran-Iraq War comes to an end after 7 years. The deadly conventional war between the two Middle Eastern countries began when Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980.
- 1993 – Oslo accords negotiations conclude. The negotiations for the Oslo Accords were concluded at the Fafo Institute in Oslo. The agreement was between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The accords, that were eventually signed in Washington D.C. set up the Palestinian Authority and gave it governing powers over the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1833 – Benjamin Harrison (23rd US President)
- 1890 – H.P. Lovecraft (American writer)
- 1923 – Jim Reeves (American singer-songwriter)
- 1935 – Ron Paul (American physician, author, politician)
- 1941 – Slobodan Milošević (Serbian politician, 3rd President of Serbia, Montenegro)
- 1944 – Rajiv Gandhi (Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India)
Rajiv Gandhi - 1946 – Connie Chung (TV Host)
- 1948 – Robert Plant (Singer for Led Zeppelin)
- 1954 – Al Roker (TV Personality)
- 1970 – Fred Durst (Singer)
- 1973 – Todd Helton (Baseball Player)
- 1974 – Amy Adams (Actress)
- 1992 – Demi Lovato (Singer and Actress)
DEATHS
- 1643 – Anne Hutchinson (English spiritual teacher)
- 1914 – Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X - 1915 – Paul Ehrlich (German physician, Nobel Prize laureate)
- 1996 – Rio Reiser (German singer-songwriter)
- 2012 – Meles Zenawi (Ethiopian politician, Prime Minister of Ethiopia)
