French politician
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American pilot, engineer, astronaut, first person to walk on the moon
Irish footballer
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Canadian ice hockey player
German philosopher
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In 2009, General Abdel Aziz, who had seized control in a coup a year earlier, was formally inaugurated as the President of Mauritania after victorious elections.
The so-called Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was ratified by prominent world powers - the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States - in Moscow. This strategic agreement arose as a countermeasure to escalating tensions fueled by the frequent nuclear weapon trials conducted by these three countries during the Cold War era. The treaty prohibited the testing of nuclear arms on land, above water, or in space. However, it allowed for subterranean testing until 1996 when it was eventually outlawed following the enforcement of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Renowned South African anti-apartheid campaigner and proponent of nonviolence, Nelson Mandela was apprehended by the government in Rivonia, a Johannesburg suburb. A year-long trial ensued, resulting in Mandela's confinement in the notorious Robben Island prison, where he remained for another 18 years. Released in 1990, Mandela had served a total of 28 years in political imprisonment. He played a vital role in the South African government's decision to dismantle apartheid in the early 1990s, due to significant international and local pressure. As a result, Mandela emerged as the nation’s first black president in 1994.
The West African nation, originally known as Upper Vota, gained independence in 1960. Having been a French protectorate since the late 19th century, it became the self-governing French colony "Republic of Upper Volta" in 1958. Post-independence, Maurice Yaméogo rose as the maiden president of the country, which was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984.
In 1940, Latvia was integrated into the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Heralding the inception of the British Empire, Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland, the first English colony in North America, for the British crown in 1583.
In the heat of the US Civil War, the Union Army claimed victory in the decisive Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864, led by Rear Admiral David Farragut, who famously declared, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"
The Habsburgs, under Eugene of Savoy, struck a significant blow to the Turks in the Battle of Petrovaradin, also known as Peterwardein, in 1716.
In 910, the last major Viking army to raid England was defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the combined forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and Earl Aethelred.
Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, who had valiantly led resistance efforts against England was captured near Glasgow in 1305. He was transported to London for trial and subsequently executed.