1790: Supposedly impenetrable Turkish fortress of Izmail stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–92)

1877: Thomas Edison’s Phonograph is announced by Scientific American

1885: Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, becomes the first Prime Minister of Japan

1989: After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu

1990: Lech Wałęsa sworn in as Poland’s 1st popularly elected president

2010: Repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy”, a 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the US military, signed into law by President Barack Obama

Source: Onthisday.com