in History
An assassinated emperor's unlikely successor
After the assassination of Emperor Aurelian, who had reunited the shattered Roman Empire, the Senate selected the elderly senator Tacitus as his successor. For the first time in decades, the Senate rather than the military dictated the imperial succession. Tacitus's brief reign represented a fleeting moment of senatorial authority in an empire increasingly dominated by soldiers.
Estonia's controversial right-wing leader
Artur Sirk was born in Estonia, where he became a veteran of the independence struggle and later a leading figure in the right-wing Vaps Movement. A lawyer and military officer, Sirk became an outspoken opponent of the Estonian government, channeling veterans' frustrations into a political force that challenged the young democracy's fragile institutions.
TAT-1, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system, is inaugurated.
TAT-1, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system, is inaugurated.