On the 30th December 1922, the USSR – the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – was founded.
16th October 1846: First public demonstration of ether anaesthesia
16th October 2020
On the 26th December 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union met for the last time to formally dissolve itself and the Soviet Union.
On the 18th December 1892, Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker received its première performance at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
On the 6th December 1956, the “Blood in the Water” water polo match took place between the USSR and Hungary.
Although ridiculed shortly afterwards as ‘Seward’s Folly’, the Alaska Purchase has since been reinterpreted as one of President Andrew Johnson’s greatest achievements.
On the 5th September 1698, Tsar Peter I of Russia – otherwise known as Peter the Great – imposed a tax on beards.
The North Pacific Fur Seal Convention, the first international treaty that dealt with wildlife conservation issues, was signed.
The secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France, formally known as the Asia Minor Agreement, was ratified.
On the 11th May 1997, the IBM computer Deep Blue became the first computer to defeat a reigning world chess champion under tournament conditions when it beat Garry Kasparov 3½-2½ over six matches.
The Crimean War began in October 1853, having been triggered by disagreements between Russia and the Ottoman Empire regarding Russia’s right to protect the Orthodox Christian minority in the Ottoman-controlled Holy Land.
11th November 1918: WW1 Armistice of Compiègne is signed
11th November 2020
1st September 1939: Nazi Germany invades Poland
1st September 2018
9th November 1989: East Germany opens the Berlin Wall
9th November 2019