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The US Embassy in Havana re-opens after 54 years

The reopening of the embassies is the most symbolic gesture to have come out of six months of intense negotiations aimed at restoring full diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. The number of diplomats assigned to each embassy and their duties continued to be an issue when it came to negotiations between Obama and Castro officials.

Obama shares his summer day & night playlist for the first time

The White House joined Spotify and their inaugural playlist was hand-picked by none other than President Obama. When asked to pick a few of his favorite songs for the summer, the President got serious. He grabbed a pen and paper and drafted up not one, but two separate summer playlists: One for the daytime, and one for the evening.

Cryptic messaging app Telegram is launched

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging and voice over IP service developed by Telegram Messenger LLP, a privately held company registered in London, United Kingdom, founded by the Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov. Users can send messages and exchange photos, videos, stickers, audio and files of any type.

Blackout affects the northeast US and Canada

The Northeast blackout was a widespread power outage throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and the Canadian province of Ontario just after 4:10 p.m. EDT. Some power was restored by 11 p.m. Most did not get their power back until two days later. In other areas, it took nearly a week or two for power to be restored.

Pakistan becomes a sovereign state

As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Indian subcontinent's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent homeland for Indian Muslims. It is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similarly diverse geography and wildlife.

Japan surrenders

By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Together with the British Empire and China, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces—the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction".

The Last Public Hanging in the US

Rainey Bethea was the last person publicly executed in the United States. Bethea, who confessed to the rape and murder of a 70-year-old woman named Lischia Edwards, was convicted of her rape and publicly hanged. Mistakes in performing the hanging, and the surrounding media circus, contributed to the end of public executions in the US.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous