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HomePage 7: Historical Events In December - 20
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
1977 inaugural Space walk made by G Grechko from Salyut 
1978 H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's White House chief of staff released from jail
1980 USSR formally announces death of Alexei Kosygin.
1981 "Dreamgirls" opens on Broadway
1982 Artur Rubinstein, pianist (My Young Years), dies in Geneva at 95
1983 PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and 4000 loyalists evacuate Lebanon.
1984 33 unknown Bach keyboard works are discovered in the Yale library
1986 White teenagers beat blacks in Howard Beach NY.
1987 Worst peacetime shipping disaster, Dona Paz collides with Vector 1749 confirmed deaths (probably closer to 3000).
1988 Animal rights terrorists fire-bomb Harrod's department store, London.
1988 NBC signs lease to stay in NYC, 33 more years
1988 Max Robinson, 1st black network (ABC) TV anchor, dies of AIDS at 49
1989 US troops invade Panama and oust Manuel Noriega, but don't catch him
1989 Audrey Christie, actress (Splendor in the Grass), dies at 77.
1990 Eduard Shevardnadze steps down as Soviet foreign minister.
1990 Pentagon warns Saddam that US air power is ready to attack on 1/15
1990 Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze steps down
1991 Andries D Copier, Dutch glass designer (Guild glass), dies
1993 Moses Gunn, actor (Shaft), dies at 64.
1994 Dean Rusk, US Sect of State (1961-69), dies at 85.
1995 NATO assumes peacekeeping duties in Bosnia
1995 John Henry Jacques, co-operative retailer, dies at 90.
1996 Amata Kabua, Pres of Marshall Islands (1979-96), dies
1997 Dawn Steel, film maker (When Harry Met Sally), dies at 51.
2005 205 New York City transit strike: New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 10 goes on strike for three days, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services.
2006 Somalia: Islamic Courts Union fighters begin attacking the government-held town of Baidoa
2007 A group of activist Lakota Indians send a letter to the United States State Department declaring their secession from the Union.
2007 An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 ML hits the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, causing one death and significant damage in the town of Gisborne
2012 Apple is denied a patent for mobile pinch-to-zoom gestures by the US patent authorities
2017 Lady Gaga signs Las Vegas residency deal for $75m at MGM Park Theatre
2017 US House and Senate pass $1.5 trillion tax bill, the biggest tax overhaul for decades
2017 European Commission triggers inaugural step of its article 7 procedure issuing Poland with formal warning of risk to voting rights.
2018 US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis announces his resignation after disagreements with President Donald Trump.
2018 New figures show average US male weighs 198 pounds and stands 5 feet 9 inches, women 171 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches.
