7 Azar 1387 | Thursday 27 November 2008

This day in four calendars

1863 (163 years ago) American Civil War: Battle of Mine Run: Union forces under General George Meade take up positions against troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
1879 (147 years ago) War of the Pacific: Battle of Tarapacá: The confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Peruvian Army takes place in Tarapacá, the Peruvian victory is consummated with the death of the 2 generals and the capture the Chilean general in said place of battle, headed by the Peruvian victory of General Juan Buendía y Noregia.
1912 (114 years ago) Spain declares a protectorate over the north shore of Morocco.
1965 (61 years ago) Vietnam War: The Pentagon tells U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson that if planned operations are to succeed, the number of American troops in Vietnam has to be increased from 120,000 to 400,000.
1989 (37 years ago) Avianca Flight 203: A Boeing 727 explodes in mid-air over Colombia, killing all 107 people on board and three people on the ground. The Medellín Cartel claimed responsibility for the attack.
1992 (34 years ago) For the second time in a year, military forces try to overthrow president Carlos Andrés Pérez in Venezuela.
1997 (29 years ago) Twenty-five people are killed in the second Souhane massacre in Algeria.
1999 (27 years ago) The centre-left Labour Party takes control of the New Zealand government with leader Helen Clark becoming the first elected female prime minister in New Zealand's history.

1701 (325 years ago) Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (died 1744)
1874 (152 years ago) Chaim Weizmann, Belarusian-Israeli chemist and politician, 1st President of Israel (died 1952)
1921 (105 years ago) Alexander Dubček, Slovak soldier and politician (died 1992)
1940 (86 years ago) Bruce Lee, American-Chinese actor, martial artist, and screenwriter (died 1973)
1942 (84 years ago) Jimi Hendrix, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 1970)
1951 (75 years ago) Kathryn Bigelow, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1960 (66 years ago) Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukrainian economist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Ukraine
1970 (56 years ago) Han Kang, South Korean writer

8 BC Horace, Roman soldier and poet (born 65 BC)
511 (1515 years ago) Clovis I, king of the Franks
602 (1424 years ago) Maurice, Byzantine emperor (born 539)
1852 (174 years ago) Ada Lovelace, English mathematician and computer scientist (born 1815)
1895 (131 years ago) Alexandre Dumas, fils, French novelist and playwright (born 1824)
1916 (110 years ago) Emile Verhaeren, Belgian poet and playwright (born 1855)
1953 (73 years ago) Eugene O'Neill, American playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)
1978 (48 years ago) Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (born 1930)