2015 Event Divers have retrieved one of two black boxes from Air Asia Flight 8501, which crashed on December 28th during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore; the second black box has been found nearby, but debris must first be moved in order to access it 2014 Event Polio is on the rise as unvaccinated refugees travel across borders; though most prevalent in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, infections are now appearing in other parts of Asia and Africa; young children are the most vulnerable 2014 Event Penang, Malaysia officially opens the Penang Second Bridge, the longest bridge over water in Southeast Asia; it stretches for 15 miles, with 10.5 miles over the water 2013 Event The Philippines' central province of Leyte suffers a loss of potentially 10,000 people when Typhoon Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia on November 8, 2013; it is the deadliest typhoon ever recorded 2013 Event A railway under the sea, first proposed by Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid 150 years ago is completed; the sea tunnel, connecting Europe and Asia is the deepest submerged railway tunnel of its kind in the world 2013 Event Upon completion of the nuclear genome of a 24,000 year old Siberian boy, the data reveals that two-thirds of today's Native Americans come from Eastern Asia and only one-third originated in Western Eurasia 2012 Event People in East Asia, the North Pacific and the Western United States have the opportunity today to view a rare annular solar eclipse 2012 Event A study finds that 90% of dropouts in Asia's major city schools suffer from myopia, or short-sightedness, with 10 - 20% having advanced, or high myopia, which can cause blindness 2011 Event Stock markets in Asia, Australia and the United States fall after the U.S. loses it's AAA credit rating 2010 Event Nepal declares a national day of mourning in honor of Girija Prasad Koirala, the 'elder statesman of South Asia' who dies in Kathmandu at age 86 2009 Event A solar eclipse, the longest in history, lasts up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean 2004 Event Earthquake, greatest in over 40 years, strikes the Pacific Ocean near Sumatra, triggering a massive Indian Ocean tsunami, killing as many as 266,000 in coastal regions of Asia and Africa 1995 Event Total solar eclipse in SW/S Asia (2m09s) 1995 Event India beats Sri Lanka to win the Asia Cricket Cup final in Sharjah 1995 Event Pope John Paul II begins visit to SE Asia 1992 Death Philip C Habib, U.S. diplomat (Middle-East/Asia), dies at 72 1988 Event U.N. estimates Asia's population hits 3 billion 1984 Event India beat Pak by 58 runs to win 1st Asia Cricket Cup in Sharjah 1975 Birthday Asia Argento, born in Rome, Italy, actress, director, films include, 'La Chiesa', 'Trauma', 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Scarlet Diva', 'Red Siren' 1972 Death Edgar P Snow, U.S. author/journalist (Battle for Asia), dies at 66 1972 Event 11th Winter Olympic games opens in Sapporo, Japan (1st in Asia) 1971 Event Pentagon reports blacks constitute 11% of U.S. soldiers in SE Asia 1966 Event Radio Free Asia (South Korea) begins radio transmission 1955 Event South East Asia Collective Defense Treaty goes into effect 1954 Event SE Asia Treaty Org (SEATO) forms to stop communists in Asia 1951 Birthday John Wetton, rocker, Asia 1950 Birthday Glyn Ford, born in Gloucester, England, politician, author, Labor Party, member of Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party, Member of European Parliament for South West England, expert on Asia, wrote, 'North Korea on the Brink: Struggle for Survival' 1949 Birthday John Wetton, born in Willington, Derbyshire, musician, keyboardist, singer, bassist, guitarist, principal songwriter for ASIA, a pop rock band 1947 Birthday Steve Howe, born in London, rock guitarist, Asia, Yes-Roundabout 1943 Event Lord Mountbatten appointed Supreme Allied Commander in SE Asia 1941 Event Winston Churchill routes "Forces South" to SE Asia 1922 Event Turkish troops chase Greeks out of Asia 1921 Birthday Alfred Reed, born in New York, New York, composer, wrote over 200 works for orchestra, chorus, concert band, chamber ensemble, wind ensemble, guest conductor, performing in Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America 1896 Birthday George B Cressey, U.S. geographer, Asia's Lands and Peoples 1895 Birthday Kavalam Madhava Panikkar, born in India, diplomat, Asia and Western Dominance 1853 Event 1st train in Asia (Bombay to Tanna, 36 km) 1839 Birthday Nikolay Przhevalsky, naturalist, explorer of east central Asia, OS 1595 Event Cornelis de Houtman's ships depart to Asia through Cape of Good Hope 1497 Event John Cabot tells King Henry VII of his trip to "Asia" 1497 Event John Cabot claims eastern Canada for England (believes he found Asia in Nova Scotia) 1304 Birthday Muhammad ibn Battutah, Arab travel writer, Travels in Asia and Africa 787 Event 2nd Council of Nicaea (7th ecumenical council) opens in Asia Minor 325 Event 1st Christian ecumenical council opens at Nicaea, Asia Minor
