Vatican
On This Day in 356: Emperor Constantius II Shut All Heathen (Non-Christian) Temples
It was on 19th February 356 that Emperor Constantius II Shut All Heathen (Non-Christian) Temples. Constantius II was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he…
Zimbabwe
On This Day in 2012: The EU Partially Lifted Sanctions on Zimbabwe
The EU partially lifted sanctions on Zimbabwe to encourage further progress in political reforms but kept restrictions on veteran President Robert Mugabe. The European Union is a political and…
UN
On This Day in 2016: First UN Chief from the African Continent Died
On February 16, 2016, Boutros Boutros-Ghali (93), the first UN chief from the African continent, died in Cairo. He helped negotiate Egypt's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed wi…
On This Day
On This Day in 2015: Italy's Chocolate King Michele Ferrero Died
Michele Ferrero (89), Italy’s chocolate king, died. He took over the family’s hazelnut-chocolate business after his father died in 1949 and soon added vegetable oil to make it spreadable. In 1964…
Venezuela
On This Day in 2013: Venezuela Devalued Its Currency
Venezuela's government devalued the country's currency amid questions about how the government can get a grip on 22% inflation and satisfy growing demand for dollars to pay for imported g…
President Mohamed Nasheed
On This Day in 2013: President Nasheed Took Refuge at the Indian Embassy
On February 13, 2013, Maldives former Pres. Mohamed Nasheed took refuge at the Indian Embassy after a court ordered his arrest for not attending a hearing on charges that he illegally ordered the…
On This Day
On This Day in 2013: US President Obama Made His Fifth State of the Union Address
On February 12, 2013, President Obama made his State of the Union address. He announced plans with the EU to pursue talks aimed at achieving an overarching trans-Atlantic free trade deal. Obama als…
On This Day
On This Day in 2014: EU Agreed to Start Negotiations with Cuba
On February 10, 2014, EU agreed to launch negotiations with Cuba to increase trade, investment and dialogue on human rights in its most significant diplomatic shift since Brussels lifted sanction…
South Africa
On This Day in 1990: FW de Klerk Announced the Release of Mandela After 27 Years in Captivity
On February 10, 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk announced that black activist Nelson Mandela would be released the next day after 27 years in captivity. Four years later, Mandela beca…
On This Day
On This Day in 2004: Facebook Came Into Existence
The dominant colour of Facebook is blue as the company's Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has red-green colour blindness. Zuckerberg, who took an online test and realised that he was c…
On This Day
On This Day in 2011: Australia Killed 24,000 Ducks
Some 24,000 Australian ducks were being destroyed after testing positive for a low pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus, an outbreak which has prompted poultry export bans in parts of Asia. …
Zuma
On This Day in 2014: South Africa's President Zuma Signed a DNA Act
South Africa’s Pres. Zuma signed a “DNA Act” to match more sexual offenders, including many who break the law more than once, with their crimes, exonerate the wrongly accused and crack cold case…
UK
On This Day in 2015: Amid the Protest from Male Priests, Libby Lane Became the First Female Bishop of the Church of England
On January 26, 2015, the Church of England ended centuries of male-only leadership as Libby Lane became its first female bishop in a ceremony briefly disrupted by a traditionalist priest's p…
Zambia
On This Day in 2015: Edgar Lungu Became the President of Zambia
On January 25, 2015, Edgar Chagwa Lungu became the President of Zambia. Edgar Chagwa Lungu is a Zambian politician who has been the President of Zambia since January 2015. Under President Mi…
Yu Shyi-kun
On This Day in 2005: Taiwan's Yu Shyi-kun's Cabinet Resigned
On January 23, 2005, Taiwan's Premier Yu Shyi-kun's cabinet resigned. The next day President Chen Shui-bian named Frank Hsieh as premier. His cabinet took office on February 1. Yu …
White Supremacy
On This Day in 1901: Australia Commenced 'The White Australia' Policy
On 23rd January 1901, Australia promulgated the Immigration Restriction Act to restrict non-white immigrants to Australia. This marked the commencement of the White Australia Policy. Aborigina…
On This Day
On This Day in 2015: The European Central Bank Decided to Initiate a Quantitative Easing Program
The European Central Bank decided to initiate a quantitative easing program that will involve printing euros in order to purchase government-issued debt instruments. The program was expected…
Venezuela
On This Day in 2014: Venezuela Announced Gas Price Rise
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announces plans to raise the price of gas to 17 cents from 6 cents; the country's annual gas subsidy's cost $12 billion, too much to bear when facing …
Switzerland
On This Day in 2015: Switzerland Uncapped Swiss Franc Against the Euro
On 15th January 2015, the Swiss National Bank uncapped the Swiss franc against the euro, resulting in a rise in its currency value from 1.20 to 1.04 francs/euro; the bank also reduced interest r…
On This Day
On This Day in 1914: Henry Ford Introduced Assembly Line
On 14th January 1914, Henry Ford introduced assembly line, for T-Fords. An assembly line is a manufacturing process (most of the time called a progressive assembly) in which parts (usually in…
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