1907 – Dmitry Mendeleev dies at the age of 72 in Saint Petersburg. Mendeleev was a Russian chemist and inventor. It is best remembered for the formulation of the Periodic Law and the creation of a telescopic version of the periodic table of elements. He used Periodic Law not only to correct the then accepted properties of certain known elements, such as the valence and atomic weight of uranium.
1943 – During World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad ends when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last German troops to the city. This battle would be one of the worst in modern world history. Nearly 1 million Soviet soldiers would die, and over 500,000 Germans would be dead on the battlefield. The Russian victory in Stalingrad was a turning point for World War II.
1959 – Nine Soviet Union climbers die in mysterious circumstances on the northern Urals mountain range. The experienced travel group had set up a camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl in an area now named in honor of the group’s leader, Igor Dyatlov. At night, something caused them to get terrified of their tents and flee the campsite while inadequately dressed for heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.
1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. The US and USSR used diplomatic tools to prevent any further escalation of the war between the two Asian countries. The USSR, led by Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin, hosted the ceasefire negotiations in Tashkent, where Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani President Ayub Khan signed the Tashkent Agreement.
1977 – Born in Barranquilla, Shakira. Shakira, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist. Shakira sold over 13 million copies of her albums Whenever, Wherever and Underneath Your Clothes. Shakira has received numerous awards including three Grammy Awards, Grammy Latin Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1982 – The Syrian government attacks the city of Hama. The Hamas massacre took place when the Syrian Arab Army, under orders from President Hafez al-Assad, besieged Hamas for 27 days in order to quell an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood against the Assad government. The massacre, carried out under the command of General Rifaat al-Assad, ended the campaign launched in 1976 by rebel groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, against the government.
2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 men’s player in the division, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks without interruption. At the same time, Federer became the first man to win at least three Grand Slams and a Championship of the Year. Since 2016, Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only male tennis players to accomplish this, Federer, in 2006 and 2007, and Djokovic, in 2015.
2006 – Vath Koreshi passes away, he was an Albanian writer, screenwriter and politician. Koreshi studied language and literature at the University of Tirana during the years 1960-1964. In the years 1964-1973 he worked as a journalist in the organ “Voice of Youth” and then, until 1977, in “Light”. In the years 1977-1983 he worked as a screenwriter at the Kinostudio “Shqipëria e Re”. Until 1987 he was a freelance writer. In 1987 he started working as the director of the Arts Directorate in the Committee of Culture, Youth and Sports until 1991. From 1992 to 1995 he directed the magazine “Art” and then became the director of the publishing house “Onufri”. In the 2001-2005 legislature he was elected deputy of the Socialist Party. He has written many books, such as “Sako’s Wedding”, “Requiem for a Woman”, as well as many movie scripts. Vath Koreshi was a deputy in the XVI legislature of the Albanian Parliament, and was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports during 1991-1992.
