Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program.

The Point Four Program was a major international aid initiative announced by U.S. President Harry S. Truman during his inaugural address on January 20, 1949. The program gets its name because it was the fourth point in Truman’s speech, following other key objectives related to U.S. foreign policy and security.

The program aimed to provide technical assistance and economic aid to developing countries in order to help them modernize and improve their agricultural, industrial, and health sectors. Truman framed this as a way for the U.S. to promote global stability and prosperity, thus countering the spread of communism during the Cold War era.

The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba.

The United States trade embargo against Cuba, also known as the Cuban embargo, is a comprehensive set of economic sanctions that the United States has imposed on Cuba since the early 1960s. The embargo is one of the longest-standing trade embargoes in modern history and has had a significant impact on Cuba’s economy and its relationship with the United States and the rest of the world.

Origins: The embargo was initially imposed during the early 1960s in response to the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. The U.S. government was concerned about the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere and viewed Castro’s government as a threat to American interests.

Embargo Components: The embargo encompasses a series of economic, commercial, and financial sanctions. This includes restrictions on trade, investment, and travel between the United States and Cuba.

Helms-Burton Act: In 1996, the United States enacted the Helms-Burton Act, which strengthened the embargo. This law allows U.S. citizens to sue companies that use or profit from property confiscated by the Cuban government after the revolution. It also makes it more difficult for the embargo to be lifted without significant political changes in Cuba.

Impact on Cuba: The embargo has had a significant impact on Cuba’s economy. It limits the country’s ability to trade with the United States, one of its closest neighbors, and has hindered foreign investment. This has contributed to economic difficulties in Cuba, although the Cuban government has also implemented its own economic policies that have played a role in the nation’s economic situation.

International Opposition: The embargo has been widely criticized by the international community. The United Nations General Assembly has consistently passed resolutions calling for an end to the embargo, with the vast majority of member states opposing the U.S. policy.

Changes in U.S. Policy: Over the years, there have been some changes in U.S. policy towards Cuba. Most notably, President Barack Obama announced a series of measures in 2014 to normalize relations with Cuba, including re-establishing diplomatic relations and easing travel and trade restrictions. However, many of these changes were reversed or tightened during the administration of President Donald Trump.

King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry.

Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.

Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.

Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.

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The First Battle of Ypres begins.

On October 19, 1914, near the Belgian city of Ypres, Allied and German forces begin the first of what would be three battles to control the city and its advantageous positions on the north coast of Belgium during the First World War.

After the German advance through Belgium and eastern France was curtailed by a decisive Allied victory in the Battle of the Marne in late September 1914, the so-called “Race to the Sea” began, as each army attempted to outflank the other on their way northwards, hastily constructing trench fortifications as they went. The race ended in mid-October at Ypres, the ancient Flemish city with its fortifications guarding the ports of the English Channel and access to the North Sea beyond.

After the Germans captured the Belgian city of Antwerp early in October, Antwerp’s remaining Belgian forces along with troops of the British Expeditionary Force, commanded by Sir John French, withdrew to Ypres, arriving at the city between October 8 and 19 to reinforce the Belgian and French defenses there. Meanwhile, the Germans prepared to launch the first phase of an offensive aimed at breaking the Allied lines and capturing Ypres and other channel ports, thus controlling the outlets to the North Sea.

On October 19, a protracted period of fierce combat began, as the Germans opened their Flanders offensive and the Allies steadfastly resisted, while seeking their own chances to go on the attack wherever possible. Fighting continued, with heavy losses on both sides, until November 22, when the arrival of winter weather forced the battle to a halt. The area between the positions established by both sides during this period—from Ypres on the British side to Menin and Roulers on the German side—became known as the Ypres Salient, a region that over the course of the next several years would see some of the war’s bitterest and most brutal struggles.

Napoleon Bonaparte gets his worse defeat as the Battle of Leipzig ends.