1918 – First victory of
Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near
Narva and Pskov. In
honor of this victory, the date is celebrated from 1923 onward as
"Red Army Day"; it is renamed Defender of the Fatherland
Day after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is
colloquially known as "Men's Day".
1998 – Osama bin Laden publishes
a fatwa declaring jihad
against all Jews and "Crusaders"; the latter term is commonly interpreted
to refer to the people of Europe and the United States.
2005 – The controversial French law on colonialism is
passed, requiring teachers to teach the "positive values of
colonialism". After public outcry, it is repealed at the beginning
of 2006.
2007
– A train
derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This
results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few
similar accidents.