- 1950
India's independence
India, three years after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, formally became a republic.
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1788
The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
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1802
Congress passed an act calling for establishment of a library within the US Capitol.
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1837
Michigan became the 26th state in the United States.
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1979
Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.
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1988
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running Broadway show.
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1993
Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
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2001
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
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2004
President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.
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