Khrushchev takes the helm of Soviet Communist Party (1953), and Ottoman forces strike back at Strandzha Commune (1903). Born on this day: Elizabeth I, Elia Kazan and Buddy Holly. Died: Sully Prudhomme, Mobutu Sese Seko and Isak Dinesen.
32 events, 76 births and 64 deaths on this date.
Khrushchev won the top job in the Soviet Communist Party a few months after Stalin's death set off a struggle for power. He held that post until 1964 and went on to denounce Stalin and loosen his grip on Soviet life.
TASS / distributed by Associated Press · Public domainThe Cuban Missile CrisisHear the story in ChunksOttoman troops marched on the Strandzha Commune, an insurgent-run region in the hills of eastern Thrace, and dissolved it. The short-lived zone was one of several self-governing areas carved out during the 1903 uprising.
Union General Sherman ordered the city's civilians out so his army could hold Atlanta, a rail hub of great strategic value to the Confederacy. Later that year, much of the city was burned during his March to the Sea.
El Salvador adopted bitcoin as legal tender, making the decentralised digital currency valid for paying debts and everyday purchases. It was an ambitious experiment, and critics pointed to the heavy electricity use of bitcoin mining.
Tupac Shakur, the American rapper and actor known as 2Pac, was shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas and died six days later. His music moved from political protest to hard-edged gangsta rap, and it still sells widely today.
Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
Garibaldi rode into Naples after the Bourbon king fled, leaving the city in the hands of his volunteer army. The move brought the south closer to joining the new Italian kingdom.
In album: Cartes-de-visite portraits of U.S. Army officers, children, and others, p. 15, right. · Public domain
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She was the last Tudor monarch, and her long reign gave its name to the Elizabethan era. Having survived a childhood of disgrace and a year in prison under her sister Mary, she never married, earning the nickname the Virgin Queen.
Unidentified painter · Public domain
Greek-American director who made Gentleman's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, and helped found the Actors Studio. He was among the most influential figures in both Broadway and Hollywood.
Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
Born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas, he became a pioneering rock and roll singer, songwriter and guitarist. His hits such as "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" shaped the sound of the late 1950s before his death in a plane crash aged 22.
Buddy_Holly_Brunswick_Records.jpg : Brunswick Records derivative work: GD uwen Tell me! · Public domain
The first person to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1901. Trained as an engineer before turning to philosophy and poetry, he aimed to write poetry that engaged with science.
Unknown Unknown , uploaded, stitched and restored by Jebulon · Public domain
Mobutu ruled Zaire for more than three decades, first as an army chief who seized power and then as its only president. His regime was marked by corruption, repression and a fierce cult of personality, and he was ousted only in 1997, the year he died in exile.
Frank Hall · Public domain
Danish writer who published in both Danish and English, best known for Out of Africa and the story Babette's Feast. Her Seven Gothic Tales made her a celebrated storyteller in Denmark and the United States.
By SAS Scandinavian Airlines ( http://images.flysas.com ) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
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