Todays History

Iraq invades Iran, starting the Iran-Iraq war.

The “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial is published in the New York Sun.

The USA military ends its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy which allows gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by German tourists in the Ötztal Alps.

The Royal Opera House in London opens.

Vanessa Williams is crowned as the first black Miss America.

The Montreal Protocol is signed in order to protect the ozone layer from further depletion.

The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C.

With the help of the CIA, Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power in a military coup in the Congo, suspending parliament and the constitution.

The Ulysses probe passes the Sun’s south pole.