Person report

★23 Dec 1938
The first living specimen of a coelacanth, long believed to be extinct, was discovered in a South African fisherman's catch.

★04 May 1942
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy engaged Allied naval forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other.

★16 Feb 1959
Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba, beginning his decades-long rule over Cuba.

★16 Dec 1971
Pakistani forces in East Pakistan surrendered, ending both the Indo-Pakistani War and the Bangladesh Liberation War.

★30 Jan 1979
Varig Flight 967 disappeared shortly after takeoff from Tokyo's Narita International Airport en route to Rio de Janeiro.

★31 Aug 1982
Anti-government demonstrations were held in 66 Polish cities to commemorate the second anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement, which allowed the Solidarity trade union to be established.

★28 Aug 1987
Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, the tallest structure in North Korea, began.

★04 Apr 1990
The current flag of Hong Kong was adopted for post-colonial use during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress.

★29 Jan 1991
The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the Gulf War, began with Iraq's invasion of the Saudi Arabian city of Khafji.

★17 Jul 1992
Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Manchester Metrolink, the first modern street-running light rail system in the United Kingdom.

Historical data by Wikipedia Contributors CC BY-SA 3.0.