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Flashback calendar

UN launches intergovernmental conference on migration

Intergovernmental negotiations on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration will take place over several sessions between February and July 2018. The fourth session will convene from 14-18 May 2018.

The US opens embassy in Jerusalem

The Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem, is a United States diplomatic mission in the historic city. In May, the United States Embassy moved into a small part of the purpose built Consular Section in Jerusalem′s southern neighborhood of Arnona. The opening of the new Embassy coincided with the bloodiest day of the 2018 Gaza border protests, seeing the deaths of more than 40 Palestinian demonstrators.

Pilot sucked out of window after Airbus windshield shatters

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 diverted to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport after a windshield on the copilot's side of the cockpit blew off. The flight crew made a difficult landing with decompression failure and extremely low temperature. The copilot and a flight attendant were reported injured.

Stockholm hosts the 61st Eurovision Song Contest

The 61st edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest took place in Stockholm, Sweden. The winner of the contest was Ukraine with the song "1944", written and performed by Jamala. This was Ukraine's second win and its first since 2004. It was also the first song with lyrics in Crimean Tatar to win or enter the contest.

2016

Medina lands the first backflip ever in competition

During the Oi Rio Pro, Medina made history becoming the first surfer ever to land a backflip in competition. As a result, Medina got a perfect 10 from all five judges, beating fellow countryman Alex Ribeiro in a 2nd round elimination heat.

Blues musician B.B. King dies

B.B. King was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King died in his sleep at the age of 89. Death was the result of a series of small strokes caused by atherosclerotic vascular disease, a consequence of his type 2 diabetes.

'Tale of Tales' premieres at Cannes Film Festival

Tale of Tales is a 2015 European fantasy film directed by Matteo Garrone and starring Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, and John C. Reilly. An Italian-led production with co-producers in France and the United Kingdom, the film is Garrone's first English-language film. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

'Inferno' by Dan Brown hits the shelves

Inferno is a mystery thriller novel by American author Dan Brown. The book was published by Doubleday, ten years after the publication of The Da Vinci Code. It was number one on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction and Combined Print & E-book fiction for the first eleven weeks of its release.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 'Americanah' is published

Americanah is a novel by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, for which she received the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Fiction award. It tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who emigrates to the United States to attend university.

Richter's Domplatz, Mailand is sold at Sotheby's for US$37.1 million

Richter's photo-painting Domplatz, Mailand, sold for $37.1 million at Sotheby's. Tobias Meyer of Sotheby's called the price "a major accomplishment". Richter, 81, also held the previous record for the top price fetched at auction by a living artist.

Avengers gross the fastest $1 billion at the box office

The Avengers is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and became the third-highest-grossing film during its theatrical run—as well as the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales and was the highest-grossing film of 2012.

Düsseldorf hosts the 56th Eurovision Song Contest

The 56th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest took place in Düsseldorf, Germany. The winner was Azerbaijan with the song "Running Scared" performed by Ell & Nikki. The runner-up was Italy, and Sweden finished in third place. Italy and Germany were the only members of the "Big Five" to make it into the top 10.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexual assault

Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexual assault and attempted rape by 32-year-old Nafissatou Diallo. DNA tests of the semen found on Diallo's shirt matched with Strauss-Kahn DNA sample. However, the judge dismissed all charges due to the untruthfulness of Diallo's testimonies.

2010

Flyers erase 3-0 series deficit vs. Bruins

The 2000 NHL post-season was noted for the unexpected playoff successes of two teams: the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers became the third NHL team to win a seven-game series after being down 3–0. The Flyers went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final, losing to Chicago.

The Alaskan cruise ship strikes an underwater rock

The Empress of the North struck Rocky Island while navigating a 90-degree turn to starboard about 50 nautical miles from Juneau, Alaska in Icy Strait. She began taking on water, forcing all 248 passengers to abandon ship. Reports that the vessel either grounded on Hanus Reef, several miles away, or later drifted there were in error.

'Requiem for a Dream' premieres at Cannes Film Festival

Requiem for a Dream is an American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans. Requiem for a Dream was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics upon its U.S. release.

Singer Frank Sinatra dies

One of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra, died with his wife in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. He was one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide. He is best known for his song "Come Fly With Me".

The series finale of 'Seinfeld' airs on NBC

Seinfeld is an American sitcom about the minutiae of daily life that ran for 9 seasons on NBC, from 1989 to 1998. The series finale aired on NBC to an audience of 76 million viewers, becoming the 5th most watched series finale in the U.S. The episode received polarized reviews primarily for portraying the main characters as people with no respect for society.

1997

Heat–Knicks rivalry gets physical in wild free-for-all

The Heat–Knicks rivalry was one of the fiercest in the NBA, and Sports Illustrated considered it the third-best NBA rivalry. In the 1997 NBA playoffs, their rivalry came to a head when, in game five, a brawl started after P.J. Brown objected to Charlie Ward's attempt to gain position for a rebound. Brown flipped Ward over his head and body-slammed him, and a melee ensued.

1994

Manchester United wins FA Cup Final

The 1994 FA Cup Final was contested between Manchester United and Chelsea. It was Manchester United's eighth success in the competition, matching the record set by Tottenham Hotspur three years earlier. Chelsea qualified for the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as United had also won the Premier League title and would be competing in the UEFA Champions League.

Álvaro Siza is awarded with the Pritzker Prize

Álvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira is a Portuguese architect, and architectural educator. In 1992, he was awarded with the renowned Pritzker Prize for the renovation project that he coordinated in the Chiado area of Lisbon, a historic commercial sector that was all but completely destroyed by fire in 1988.

The series finale of 'Moonlighting' airs on ABC

Moonlighting is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from 1985 to 1989. It was a hit with TV audiences as well as with critics and industry insiders, garnering 16 Emmy nominations in just its second season. But by its fourth season, its ratings had declined precipitously as neither of the principal stars was vested in the final season of the show. The series went on hiatus during the February sweeps and returned on Sunday evenings in the spring of 1989. Six more episodes aired before the series was canceled in May of that year.

Carrollton bus collision

The Carrollton bus collision occurred on Interstate 71 in unincorporated Carroll County, Kentucky. Involving a former school bus in use by a church youth group and a pickup truck driven by an impaired driver, the head-on collision was the deadliest incident involving drunk driving and the third-deadliest bus crash in United States history.

1985

Coffey sets new record for points by a defenseman in a playoff game

Paul Douglas Coffey is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenseman who played for nine teams in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among NHL defensemen in career goals, assists, and points, behind Ray Bourque.

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is born

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American technology entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for co-founding and leading Facebook, as its chairman and chief executive officer. Born in White Plains, New York, Zuckerberg attended Harvard University where he launched Facebook from his dormitory room.

1980

Valencia win the first European final to be decided on penalties

The 1979–80 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won on penalties by Valencia CF in a goalless final against Arsenal. It was the only Cup Winners' Cup to be decided in this way, and was Valencia's third European title after two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup victories.

Inventor and businessman Bill Lear dies

Bill Lear was an American inventor and businessman and the creator of the battery eliminator, B battery and 8-track tape sound-recording technology. In the late 1950s, Bill Lear founded the Swiss American Aviation Corporation which manufactured private, luxury aircraft. It was later renamed Learjet. One of its most famous designs was Learjet 23, introduced in 1964. Learjet is currently a subsidiary of Canadian Bombardier Aerospace.

Skylab heads to the stars

Skylab was the United States' space station that orbited the Earth until it fell back to Earth amid huge worldwide media attention. Launched and operated by NASA, Skylab included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems necessary for crew survival and scientific experiments.

1967

Mickey Mantle hits his 500th Home Run

Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player. He became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. Mantle hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI during his final season. He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch hit at the All-Star Game. Mantle was an All-Star player almost every season during his eighteen-year career.

Soviet bloc signs the Warsaw Pact defense treaty

The Warsaw Pact was established as a balance of power or counterweight to NATO and there was no direct confrontation between them. Instead, the conflict was fought on an ideological basis and through proxy wars. Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact led to the expansion of military forces and their integration into the respective blocs.

Israel declares independence

The Israeli Declaration of Independence was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine. It declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, which would come into effect on termination of the British Mandate at midnight that day.

Ferrero officially opens its doors

Ferrero SpA is an Italian manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products and is the third biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world. It was founded in Alba, Piedmont, Italy, by Pietro Ferrero, a confectioner and small-time pastry maker who laid the groundwork for Nutella.

1938

England soccer team beats Nazi-Germany in friendly match

The match took place at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, and it was the last time England played against a unified German team until the 1990s. This was the most controversial of all the early encounters between the two teams, as before kick-off the English players were ordered by the Foreign Office to line up and perform a Nazi salute in respect to their hosts.

Virginia Woolf's novel 'Mrs Dalloway' is published

One of Virginia Woolf's best-known novels, Mrs Dalloway, is a novel that details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman in post–First World War England. The novel was included on Time's list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.

Inventor and entrepreneur Henry Heinz dies

Known mostly for his tomato ketchup, Heinz was a son of German immigrants who came to the United States in the early 1840s. In 1876 he developed his ketchup and started a company with his brother, John Heinz, and cousin Frederick Heinz. In 1888 Heinz bought them out and renamed the business H. J. Heinz Company, the name carried to the present day.

The Rockefeller Foundation is established

The Rockefeller Foundation is a private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. It was established by the six-generation Rockefeller family. The Foundation was started by Standard Oil owner John D. Rockefeller, along with his son John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Frederick Taylor Gates, in New York State.

The last witchcraft trial held in the US begins in Salem, Massachusetts

The Salem witchcraft trial was an American civil case held in Salem, Massachusetts, in which Lucretia L. S. Brown, an adherent of the Christian Science religion, accused fellow Christian Scientist Daniel H. Spofford of attempting to harm her through his "mesmeric" mental powers. The judge dismissed the case.

Charles Darwin begins writing 'On the Origin of Species'

The groundbreaking book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. It presented a body of evidence that the diversity of life arose by common descent through a branching pattern of evolution. On the Origin of Species is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology.

Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture 'Hebrides' premieres in London

This revision of the overture was premiered in London in a concert conducted by Thomas Attwood, that also featured Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The final revision was completed in June 1832 and premiered in Berlin under the composer's own baton.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

U. S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark started a ground expedition across what is now the western portion of the United States. It began near St. Louis and made its way westward, passing through the continental divide to reach the Pacific coast.

Delegates convene in Philadelphia to write a new American Constitution

The Constitutional Convention took place in the old Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The delegates elected George Washington of Virginia, former commanding general of the Continental Army in the late American Revolutionary War, to preside over the Convention.

Louis XIV becomes King of France at age 4

Louis XIV was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who reigned as King of France. Starting at the age of 4, his reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history. In the age of absolutism in Europe, Louis XIV's France was a leader in the growing centralization of power.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV is born

Charles IV, born Wenceslaus, was a King of Bohemia and the first King of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor. He was a member of the House of Luxembourg from his father's side and the House of Přemyslid from his mother's side, which he emphasised, because it gave him two saints as direct ancestors.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous

born 1997

Rúben Dias

born 1998

Thaddeus Moss

died 1998

Frank Sinatra