Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia
The ex-KGB officer has been lauded for leading Russia out of the 1990 economic crisis and criticized for building a regime that many have described as authoritarian and undemocratic.
The Schengen Agreement enters into force
Within the Schengen Area, which encompasses most of Europe, regular border checks have been abolished.
The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty is signed
Egypt’s President Anwar al-Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the treaty, which ended 30 years of war between the 2 countries.
The Biological Weapons Convention comes into effect
The treaty bans the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. It has now been ratified by most countries worldwide.
- 1944 Diana Ross
American singer, actress - 1941 Richard Dawkins
Kenyan/English biologist - 1940 Nancy Pelosi
American politician, 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives - 1925 Pierre Boulez
French pianist, composer, conductor - 1874 Robert FrostAmerican poet, playwright
- 1984 Ahmed Sékou Touré
Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea - 1973 Noël Coward
English actor, playwright, composer - 1902 Cecil Rhodes
English/South African businessman, politician, founded De Beers - 1892 Walt Whitman
American poet, author - 1827 Ludwig van Beethoven
German pianist, composer