1915 – Born in the Skënderbeg neighborhood of the city of Shkodra, Zef Mala, publicist, founder and chairman of the Communist Group of Shkodra and the Albanian Communist Party. In 2002 the volume “Vox Populi” by the daughters was published, a summary of his written work. Described by P. Zef Pllumi as one of the most influential intellectuals of New Albania, he is also one of the communists of the first hours who expressed regret for the contribution to the victory of black cholera that sowed mourning, tears, blood and poison in the heart. of a multifaceted people. In 1944 Enver Hoxha orders his shooting, but Mala manages to escape death. Described as a confused anti-Marxist by Enver. In December 1944 he was sent for eye treatment to Bari, Italy. In April 1945 he came to Albania. He was appointed head of the section at the National Library and later its director. In 1946 he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Motive for the sentence: “For political attitudes against cooperation with the Yugoslav Communist Party”. He was sentenced to 2 years and released on January 19, 1949 through an amnesty from a change of attitude and cooperation with Yugoslavia, as a victim of Koçi Xoxa. In 1977 he was interned with his family for 5 years in Labova e Zhapa, Gjirokastra. On July 15, 1978, from Labova e Zhapa, he wrote an emblematic memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Shehu, after he had cut off all communication with Enver Hoxha years ago. In the 1978 election he refused to vote. He was arrested and sent to Tirana, where he was re-sentenced to 10 years in prison. He spent his sentence in Ballsh prison where he was completely blinded, he walked with a stick and his accomplices helped him in every need “- recalls the journalist Foto Proko. On December 26, 1979, seriously ill, blind, he died in the prison hospital of Tirana.
1925 – Rod Steiger is born in New York. Steiger was an American actor, notable for his portrayal of bad, often volatile, and crazy characters. Quoted as “one of the most charismatic and dynamic stars of Hollywood”. Some of his films are Charlie On the Waterfront, The Pawnbroker, Oklahoma, Heat of Night, Doctor Zhivago, Waterloo, Last Days of Mussolini, End of Days, etc.
1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky dies at the age of 36. Mayakovsky, was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. He committed suicide in unexplained circumstances. Even after his death, his relationship with the Soviet Union remained volatile. Although Mayakovsky had previously been sharply criticized by Soviet government bodies such as the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (RAPP). He is considered one of the greatest writers of his time.
1942 – Malta receives the George Cross for its resistance to Nazi-fascist occupation. The George Cross was given by King George VI himself and is now an emblem on the Maltez national flag. The Cross of St. George is one of the highest decorations of the British Empire, given to various personalities or states. The small island nation of Malta successfully withstood the Italian and German bombing campaign.
1958 – Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a 162-day mission. This was the first spaceship to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who most likely lived only a few hours. Launched by the USSR, the Sputnik 2 was a 4-meter-high conical capsule with a base diameter of 2 meters, which weighed about 500 kg. Sputnik was designed by Sergey Korolev.
1978 – Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet efforts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language. A series of actions, of protest, followed and implied that there would be a clash between several thousand demonstrators and the Soviet government. But the head of the Georgian KP, Eduard Shevardnadze, negotiated with the central authorities in Moscow and managed to obtain permission to maintain his previous mother tongue status.
1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia, causing $ 2.3 billion in damage. This is considered to be the most costly natural disaster in Australian history. The storm hit southern Sydney on Wednesday afternoon, hitting the city’s eastern suburbs, including the central business region, later that evening.
