164 BC: During the Maccabean Revolt Judas Maccabeus recaptures Jerusalem and rededicates the Second Temple, commemorated since as Jewish festival Hanukkah

1818: Russia’s Tsar Alexander I petitions for a Jewish state in Palestine

1906: China prohibits the opium trade

1970: General Hafez al-Assad becomes Prime Minister of Syria following a military coup

1971: Battle of Garibpur: Indian troops aided by the Mukti Bahini, Bengali guerrillas, defeat the army of Pakistan

2017: Robert Mugabe’s resignation after 37 years in power is read out in Zimbabwe’s parliaments during impeachment proceedings

Source: Onthisday.com