Today in History

2002 Israeli forces besieged the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem The Israel Defense Force had occupied Bethlehem to capture wanted Palestinians. The 39-day siege ensued after some militants fled into the church, which is believed to stand on the birthplace of…

2001 The Netherlands becomes the first country to allow same-sex marriage Despite opposition from conservative factions, gay and lesbian couples are today allowed to marry in many other countries also. 2001 Slobodan Milošević is arrested The former President of Serbia was arrested…

1999 The film The Matrix is released The science fiction story about the adventures of a computer programmer, Neo, was not only a commercial success but also left a lasting impression on action film-making through its creative use of slow-motion and spinning…

1981 U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot A lone gunman opened fire outside a hotel in Washington D.C. The mentally ill assassin claimed his only motive was to become famous. 1976 Thousands of Palestinians protest against Israel’s massive land expropriation In the…

2010 Two Chechen suicide bombers detonate their devices in the Moscow underground 40 people died in the attack allegedly carried out by so-called “black widows”, or Islamist Chechen female suicide bombers. 2004 Ireland becomes the first country to ban smoking in all…