On the news
The Day
09 December 2012
On This Day: 2000 – The Supreme Court of the United States stays the sixth Florida recount.
In the picture: A painting of George W. Bush is seen on a wall in a diner in Crawford, Texas.
The Day
08 December 2012
On This Day: 1980 – John Lennon, an English musician (former member of The Beatles), and peace activist, is murdered by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City.
In the picture: U2 frontman Bono watching television in New York City.
The Day
07 December 2012
On This Day: 1988 – Yasser Arafat recognizes the right of Israel to exist.
In the picture: Members of Yasser Arafat's personal security detail, Force 17, mourn the loss of their leader in front of his presidential offices, Gaza, Palestinian Territories.
The Day
06 December 2012
On This Day: 1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is completed.
In the picture: People walk in the National Mall area the day before President-Elect Barack Obama is inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
The Day
05 December 2012
On This Day: 1492 – Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
In the picture: Haitians are seen in an impoverished area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The Day
04 December 2012
On This Day: 1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States.
In the picture: Islamic teenagers visiting a recently opened Burger King fast food store in the predominantly Muslim suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois in Paris, France.
The Day
03 December 2012
On This Day: 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
In the picture: New Yorkers, tourists, policemen and firefighters react to the news of the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Times Square, New York City.
The Day
02 December 2012
On This Day: 1971 – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
In the picture: Opening party of the Cavalli Club at the Fairmont Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Day
01 December 2012
On This Day: 1918 – Transylvania unites with Romania, following the incorporation of Bessarabia (March 27) and Bukovina (November 28), thus concluding the Great Union.
In the picture: Bran Castle, better know as Dracula's Castle, in Transylvania, Romania.
The Day
30 November 2012
On This Day: 1967 – The Pakistan Peoples Party is founded by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who becomes its first Chairman later as the Head of state and Head of government after the 1971 Civil War.
In the picture: Locals fish in the Balloki Headworks in Balloki Village, Pakistan .
The Day
29 November 2012
On This Day: 1394 – The Korean king Yi Seong-gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, moves the capital from Kaesong to Hanyang, today known as Seoul.
In the picture: A woman uses hand gestures to change the wallpaper in an exhibition of future technology at the SK T.UM future museum in Seoul, South Korea.
The Day
28 November 2012
On This Day: 1811 – Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, premieres at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.
In the picture: An old beat up piano sits in front of tattered and torn wallpaper in Pripyat, a town located just three kilometers from the Chernobyl reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
The Day
27 November 2012
On This Day: 1978 – The Kurdish party PKK is founded in the city of Riha (Urfa) in Turkey.
In the picture: Female members of the PKK use plastic tarpaulins during the winter to water-proof the camouflaged stone dwellings known as mangas in Kurdistan, Iraq.
The Day
26 November 2012
On This Day: 1917 – The National Hockey League is formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams.
In the picture: Hockey equipment lies in the corner of a room in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
The Day
25 November 2012
On This Day: 1833 – A massive undersea earthquake, estimated magnitude between 8.7-9.2 rocks Sumatra, producing a massive tsunami all along the Indonesian coast.
In the picture: A man offers a Buddhist prayer with incense while departing aboard the KM Jelatik Express passenger and cargo ferry traveling from Selatpanjang to Pekanbaru on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
The Day
24 November 2012
On This Day: 1859 – Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species, the anniversary of which is sometimes called "Evolution Day".
In the picture: A seagull in flight in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
The Day
23 November 2012
On This Day: 534 BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character onstage.
In the picture: The American actor Rod Steiger.
The Day
22 November 2012
On This Day: 1943 – Lebanon gains independence from France.
In the picture: A woman and children walk through the cemetery, where a depiction of Yasser Arafat looms above, in the Rashidiyeh camp for Palestinian refugees in Tyre, South Governorate, Lebanon.
The Day
21 November 2012
On This Day: 1877 – Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
In the picture: Gregg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk, performs in his hometown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Girl Talk is a musician who specializes in mashups, digital sampling, and crowd participation in live performances.
The Day
20 November 2012
On This Day: 1917 – Ukraine is declared a republic.
In the picture: Swimming on the Kiev Reservoir, or what locals refer to as, the "Chernobyl Riviera," a small settlement in the town of Strakholissya, Ukraine.
The Day
19 November 2012
On This Day: 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran.
In the picture: Shooting traning at the Women police academie of Tehran.
The Day
18 November 2012
On This Day: 1307 – William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.
In the picture: Portrait of Luke and Jessica, at the Glastonbury Music and Performing Arts Festival in Somerset, England.
The Day
17 November 2012
On This Day: 1810 – Sweden declares war on its ally the United Kingdom to begin the Anglo-Swedish War, although no fighting ever takes place.
In the picture: Bodybuilder contestant poses for a portrait in Arhus, Sweden.
The Day
16 November 2012
On This Day: 1822 – American Old West: Missouri trader William Becknell arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail.
In the picture: Inmates take in some sun during recreation time in the outdoor gym of a private corrections facility in Santa Fe, N.M.
The Day
15 November 2012
On This Day: 1988 – Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council.
In the picture: A street scene in Gaza City, Gaza.
The Day
14 November 2012
On This Day: 1770 – James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile.
In the picture: At dusk, a fisherman and man on the banks of the Nile say their evening prayer in Egypt.
The Day
13 November 2012
On This Day: 1864 – The new Constitution of Greece is adopted.
In the picture: British youths dance at Rescue night club on the Laganas strip in Zakynthos, Greece.
The Day
12 November 2012
On This Day: 764 – Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days.
In the picture: Buddhist statues are seen inside the caves at Drak Yerpa, a hillside temple near Lhasa, Tibet.
The Day
11 November 2012
On This Day: 1215 – The Fourth Lateran Council meets, defining the doctrine of transubstantiation, the process by which bread and wine are, by that doctrine, said to transform into the body and blood of Christ.
In the picture: A Falintil militia member receives communion during Catholic mass in Larin, East Timor.
The Day
10 November 2012
On This Day: 1775 – The United States Marine Corps is founded at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia by Samuel Nicholas.
In the picture: Lima Company, a marine unit based in Columbus, Ohio, marches to cheers and support at a Veteran's Day parade.
The Day
09 November 2012
On This Day: 1887 – The United States receives rights to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the picture: A U.S. Navy sailor hangs on to a pole in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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