2015 Event Pope Francis becomes the first pope in history to speak to the U.S. Congress; the pontiff exhorted the lawmakers to work together to address climate change, immigration reform and other issues that have stalled due to strong political division 2014 Event The cabinet of Israel approves a bill stating that the nation is both a democratic state and the Jewish homeland; the bill is meant to address political pressure from groups that deny or ignore Israel�s Jewish identity 2014 Event Hong Kong pro-democracy protest sites are being cleared on a court order; demonstrations have been held since September in an effort to attain greater political freedom for Hong Kong 2014 Event The U.S. House Judiciary Committee finds that there are no grounds for impeachment of President Barack Obama, despite calls for such action from political opponents 2014 Event As part of a political transition, Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and representatives from the country's main political parties agree to transform Yemen into a six-region federation 2013 Event The 150th Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address' considered one of the greatest political speeches, is commemorated in the U.S. on the battlefield and by the Library of Congress 2013 Event Russia grants NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden one year of temporary political asylum; Snowden leaves Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport 2013 Event U.S. Republicans unveil a series of bills designed to prevent government abuse, including the 'STOP IRS Act,' which would allow IRS employees to be fired when they take actions for political purposes 2013 Event The Liberal Political Party of Canada choses Justin Trudeau, son of Pierre Trudeau, as its new leader 2013 Event In preparation for plans to step down in 2015, the President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir gives an order to release all political prisoners 2012 Event In his first political speech, marking the five-year anniversary of his mother's death, ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, vows to maintain democracy and fight militancy 2012 Event As part of ongoing political reforms in Myanmar, the country announces it will end media censorship 2012 Event While Greece struggles to overcome its economic crisis, Antonis Samaras, leader of Greece's New Democratic party, negotiates with political rivals to form a coalition government 2012 Event Imprisoned Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is moved to a hospital after a political compromise, ending her hunger strike 2012 Event Following political reforms in Myanmar, Australia relaxes sanctions on the country, including by-elections earlier this month where opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won more than a dozen seats 2012 Event Romania's Prime Minister Emil Boc and his entire cabinet resign due to major social and political unrest in the country 2011 Event Cuba announces plans to release 2,900 prisoners, including political prisoners 2011 Event Libya's National Transitional Council raises concerns about the mass killing of political prisoners by Muammar Gaddafi's government 2011 Event The funeral for the final heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Otto von Habsburg, occurs in Vienna, attended by monarchs and members of the political elite 2011 Event In efforts to avoid food shortages and political oppression, South Korea begins work on a new facility to house North Korean refugees 2011 Event In the People's Republic of China, the call for a 'Jasmine Revolution' spreads online as authorities hunt down political activists 2011 Event All remaining political prisoners in Tunisia are freed 2011 Event Tunisia's youth protest for several days over political grievances and social problems including the job market and purchase power 2010 Event Political pressure and cyber-attacks directed against WikiLeaks are condemned by Reporters Without Borders 2010 Event U.S. television pundit, Keith Olbermann, is indefinitely suspended from MSNBC for making three political donations to Democratic Party candidates 2010 Event Rival political parties clash in Guinea ahead of a presidential run-off election; at least 24 people are injured 2009 Event Italian Prime Minister Silvio Burlusconi is knocked to the ground and hit in the face after a political rally in Milan, Italy 2004 Death Pierre Salinger, journalist/political press officer, dies at 79 2001 Death Herblock, political cartoonist, The Washington Post, dies at 91 2001 Death Barbara Olson, "political commentator, writer", Politically Incorrect, dies at 45 - a 9/11 terrorist murder 1997 Death James Friell, political cartoonist, dies at 84 1996 Death John Qace Hardbattle, political activist, dies at 51 1996 Death Brian Keith-Lucas, political scientist, dies at 84 1996 Death Claude Ake, political scientist, dies at 57 1996 Death William James Millar Mackenzie, political scientist, dies at 87 1996 Death Rio Reiser, born Ralph Christian Mobius, musician, singer, political activist, member of ton Steine Scherben, a famous rock group, wrote Rachhaussong supporting the squatter scene, dies at 46 1996 Death Richard Michael Fraser, political administrator, dies at 80 1996 Death David Nicholls, priest/theologian/political theorist, dies at 60 1996 Death David Michael Ifshin, British political campaign organiser, dies at 46 1996 Death Ronald George Hayward, political manager, dies at 78 1996 Death Marion Farouk Political scientist-Sluglett, dies at 59 1996 Death Amelia Rosselli, daughter of political activist Carlo Rosselli, worked in Italy as a poet and literary translator, dies at 65 1996 Death Olga Havlova, political activist, dies at 63 1995 Death Hedda J Garza, writer/political activist, dies at 66 1994 Death Jaharna Imam, Bangladeshi writer/political activist, dies at 65 1993 Event Political campaigners James Carville (49) and Mary Matalin wed 1991 Death Jan H Christianse, political chairman (CDA), dies 1991 Death Lee Atwater, political strategists (R), dies of brain tumor at 40 1991 Event Dutch PPR, Political Party Radicals, disbands 1990 Event East and West Germany sign a treaty to join legal and political systems 1990 Event Radical Democratic Party holds 1st political meetings in Moscow 1990 Event King Birendra of Nepal lifts 30-year ban on political parties 1990 Event Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, freed in South Africa 1990 Event U.S.S.R. Communist party agrees to allow opposition political parties 1990 Event South Africa's President FW de Klerk promises to free Nelson Mandela and legalizes ANC and 60 other political orgs 1989 Event South Africa President FW de Klerk frees Sisulu and 4 other political prisoners 1989 Event Supreme Court rules ok to burn U.S. flag as a political expression 1989 Event Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom 1988 Event Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud 1986 Death Sydney J. Harris, journalist, wrote, syndicated column, 'Strictly Personal', wrote for Chicago Daily News, Chicago Sun-Times, political positions placed him on the list of Nixon political opponents, wrote, 'The Authentic Person: Dealing with Dilemma', dies in Chicago, Illinois 1983 Death Raymond Aron, French sociologist/political scientist, dies at 78 1983 Event Argentina military regime gives amnesty to military and political assassins 1983 Event Dutch political party DS'70 disbands 1981 Death Clarence A Bacote, historian/political scientist, dies at 75 1980 Event FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors 1979 Event Iraqi president Saddam Hussein executes 22 political opponents 1979 Event Sri Lanka forfeit ICC Trophy game vs Israel for political reasons 1978 Event Swaziland's new constitution promulgated bans political parties 1976 Event Argentine military junta bans leftist political parties 1975 Event Tennis Star Martina Navratilova requests U.S. political asylum 1975 Event Czechoslovakian tennis ace Martina Navratilova asks for political asylum in New York City 1975 Event All political parties forbidden in Bangladesh 1974 Death Stewart Alsop, columnist and political analyst, worked for Saturday Evening Post and Newsweek, dies 1972 Event 1st black U.S. political convention opens in Gary, Indiana 1971 Event Bolivia passes death penalty for political kidnapping 1970 Event Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova gets political asylum 1968 Event Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) forms in Netherlands 1968 Event Political Party Radikalen (PPR) established in Netherlands 1967 Birthday Serj Tankian, born in Beirut, Lebanon, singer, songwriter, rhythm guitarist, political activist, Grammy-Award winning band, System of a Down 1967 Event 113 East Europeans attending World Amateur hockey championships in Vienna, ask for political asylum 1967 Event Stalin's daughter Svetlana Allilujeva asks for political asylum in US 1966 Event Dutch political party (D'66) forms 1963 Birthday Garry Kasparov, born in Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist 1962 Birthday Jon Stewart, born in New York City, New York, entertainer, political satirist, fake news reporter, host of 'The Daily Show' 1962 Birthday Michelle Shocked, born in Dallas, Texas, singer, songwriter, political activist, created label, Mighty Sound, song 'When I Grow Up' featured in an ad for Kaiser Permanente 1961 Event Equal access rule, political parties get TV broadcasting time 1961 Birthday Ann Coulter, born in New York City, New York, conservative political commentator, author, 'Godless: The Church of Liberalism', 'How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)' 1961 Birthday Paul Begala, born in New Jersey, political commentator, consultant, former advisor to President Bill Clinton, co-host on 'Crossfire' television show on CNN 1961 Birthday Rory Bremner, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, impressionist, political satirist, comedian, appeared on Channel 4 with 'Rory Bremner, Who Else?', host of award-winning show, 'Bremner, Bird and Fortune' 1959 Event Dalai Lama fled China and was granted political asylum in India 1957 Death Jacques Fesch, French political assassin/saint?, beheaded at about 26 1956 Event Nelson Mandela and 156 others arrested for political activities in South Africa 1955 Birthday Tony Snow, born in Kentucky, political commentator, columnist, radio, television news anchor, White House Press Secretary 1953 Birthday Paul Krugman, born in New York, economist, liberal, political columnist, author, op-ed columnist for 'The New York Times', wrote, 'The Conscience of a Liberal' 1953 Event Egyptian Premier General Naguib disbands all political parties 1951 Birthday Jan Franssen, born in Hilversum, North Holland, politician, Dutch liberal political party, in 2006, named Queen's Commissioner in South Holland, previously served as city councilor, Nederhorst den Berg, President, House of Representatives 1982 - 1994, mayor of Zwolle, 1994 - 2000 1950 Birthday Alan Colmes, born in New York City, New York, radio and television host, liberal political commentator, host of 'The Alan Colmes Show', runs 'Liberaland' blog 1950 Birthday Rio Reiser, born in Berlin, Germany, born Ralph Christian Mobius, musician, singer, political activist, member of ton Steine Scherben, a famous rock group, wrote Rachhaussong supporting the squatter scene 1948 Event 2nd political action of Java/Sumatra 1948 Event Indonesia begins it's 2nd political election 1948 Birthday Garry Trudeau, political cartoonist, Doonesbury 1947 Event Netherlands ceases political action in Indonesia, due to United Nations pressure 1947 Event Indonesia begins 1st political election 1947 Event 1st political action of Netherlands Army on Java and Sumatra 1946 Birthday Candy Lightner, political activist/founder, MADD 1945 Birthday John Qace Hardbattle, political activist 1945 Event Dutch political party ANJV forms 1945 Event Sicherheitsdienst murders 10 political prisoners in Zutphen 1944 Birthday Hamilton Jordan, political advisor, 'Crisis - Last Days of the Carter Presidency' 1944 Birthday Molly Ivins, born in California, newspaper columnist, author, political commentator 1943 Death Jan Dieters, leader of illegal Dutch political party (CPN), executed 1943 Death Lou Jansen, leader of illegal Dutch political party (CPN), executed 1943 Event Lou Jansen, leader of illegal Dutch political party (CPN) arrested 1941 Event German occupiers disband political parties 1940 Death Johan C Braakensiek, Dutch political cartoonist, dies at 81 1939 Event Hatch Act prohibits political activity by federal workers 1939 Birthday Claude Ake, political scientist 1938 Birthday Patrick Buchanan, conservative political columnist 1936 Birthday Wolf Biermann, born in Hamburg, Germany, singer, songwriter, former East German dissident, wrote folk music, political ballads, studied political economics at Humboldt University of Berlin 1936 Birthday David Nicholls, priest/theologian/political theorist 1936 Birthday Marion Farouk-Sluglett, political scientist 1935 Event King Boris of Bulgaria forbids all political parties 1934 Death Albert Funke Kuppes, political cartoonist, dies 1934 Birthday Margaret Douglas, chief political adviser, BBC 1934 Event Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his 1933 Birthday Olga Havlova, political activist 1933 Birthday Susan Sontag, born in New York City, Susan Rosenblatt, New York, writer, author, filmmaker, philosopher, political activist, 'Against Interpretation' established reputation as 'the Dark Lady of American Letters' 1932 Birthday Dick Gregory, comedian/political activist/dietician, Bahamian Diet 1932 Event 1st political telecast (Democratic National Committee) at CBS, New York City 1932 Birthday Mark Russell, Buffalo, New York, political satirist/pianist, Real People 1932 Birthday Jan H Christiaanse, president Dutch political party, CDA 1930 Birthday Amelia Rosselli, born in Paris, France, poet, of Italian origin, daughter of political activist Carlo Rosselli, worked in Italy as a poet and literary translator, wrote prose in English, French and Italian, major work, 'Spazi metrici' 1929 Birthday William Safire, political columnist, New York Times, speech writer, Nixon 1929 Birthday Hedda J Garza, writer/political activist 1929 Birthday Jaharna Imam, Bangladeshi writer/political activist 1927 Birthday Boris Porena, born in Rome, Italy, Italian composer, didactical expert, studied under Goffredo Petrassi, influenced by neoclassical poetics, wrote texts about music including Musica-Societa which includes social and political analysis 1927 Birthday Mort Sahl, Montreal, comedian/political satirist/beatnik, Big Party 1926 Event Frankfurter Zeitung publishes Lenins political testament 1926 Birthday Alan Walters, political economist 1925 Birthday Art Buchwald, born in New York City, wrote political satire and commentary, had column in The Washington Post 1925 Birthday Gerard John Toorenaar, political commissar in Amsterdam, 1975-79 1925 Event Hitler's resurrects NSDAP political party in Munich 1925 Birthday Geoffrey Tucker, British political consultant 1924 Event 1st political convention broadcast on radio - Republicans at Cleveland 1923 Birthday Julia Montgomery Walsh, political consultant/writer 1923 Event Lenin's "Political Testament" calls for removal of Stalin 1922 Event Lenin dictates his "Political testament" 1922 Birthday Grace Paley, born in New York, short story writer, political activist, pacifist, poet 1922 Event Hendrikus Colijn becomes political editor-in-chief of The Standard 1922 Birthday Wyndraeth Morris-Jones, British political scientist 1921 Birthday Dobrica Cosic, born in Velika Drenova, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, now Serbia, writer, political, national theorist, first president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1992 - 1993, called 'Father of the Nation' 1921 Birthday William Henry Mauldin, New Mexico, political cartoonist, Pulitzer-1945, 59 1920 Birthday Georges Marchais, political leader, French Communist Party 1920 Birthday Maurice Cranston, political scientist 1920 Event Perserikatan Communist of India (PKI) political party forms 1919 Event Pope Benedictus XV states Roman Catholics political/business views 1918 Birthday James MacGregor Burns, political writer, The Lion and the Fox 1918 Death Albert P Hahn, Dutch political cartoonist (Het Volk), dies at 41 1918 Birthday Wyndraeth Morris-Jones, British political scientist 1918 Birthday Nelson Mandela, born in Qunu, South Africa, political prisoner, ANC, President, 1994- 1918 Death Georgi Valentinovich Plechanow, pseudonym, Volgin, writer, author, organized Russia's first political demonstration, dies in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 60 1918 Birthday Alessadro Natta, Italian political leader, Communist Party 1917 Birthday Sydney J. Harris, born in London, England, journalist, wrote, syndicated column, 'Strictly Personal', wrote for Chicago Daily News, Chicago Sun-Times, political positions placed him on the list of Nixon political opponents, wrote, 'The Authentic Person: Dealing with Dilemma' 1917 Birthday Ronald George Hayward, political manager 1916 Birthday Corinne Boggs, political administrator 1915 Birthday Aziz Nesin, born in Heybeliada, Istanbul, writer, humorist, author of over 100 books, political activist, championed free speech and human rights in Turkey 1915 Birthday Richard Michael Fraser, political Administrator 1914 Event 1st women elected political agent (Grantham, Linconshire UK) 1914 Birthday Stewart Alsop, born in Avon, Connecticut, columnist and political analyst, worked for Saturday Evening Post and Newsweek 1912 Birthday Jura Soyfer, born in Kharkov, Ukraine, writer, political journalist, imprisoned at Dachau concentration camp, wrote the Dachau song with composer Herbert Zipper 1912 Birthday Brian Keith-Lucas, political scientist 1912 Birthday John Toland, U.S., political writer, Rising Sun, Pulitzer 1971 1912 Birthday James Friell, political cartoonist 1910 Birthday Joseph Alsop, political newspaper columnist, Men Around the President 1910 Birthday Angus Campbell, U.S., psychologist, Elections and Political Order 1909 Birthday Herblock, Herbert L Block, Roosevelt, Utah, political cartoonist 1909 Birthday William James Millar Mackenzie, political scientist 1908 Event CHU (Christian Historic Union) Dutch political party forms 1905 Birthday Raymond Aron, French sociologist and political scientist 1905 Event Netherlands Workers van Vakverenigingen, (NVV) political party forms 1903 Event American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans 1902 Death Thomas Nast, political cartoonist, dies 1889 Event American Academy of Political and Social Science organized, Philadelphia 1889 Birthday Walter Lippmann, New York City, journalist/political writer, Men of Dystany 1888 Event East Africa Company political and commercial rights 1879 Event "Exodus of 1879" southern blacks flee political/economic exploitation 1879 Death George Shepstone, British political affiliate, dies in battle 1877 Birthday Albert P Hahn, Dutch political cartoonist, People/Nutcracker 1874 Birthday Apirana Turupa Ngata, Kawaka New Zealand, Maori political/cultural leader 1871 Death Louis Papineau, political reformer, dies 1858 Birthday Emmeline Pankhurst, born in England, found, Women's Social and Political Union 1858 Birthday Johan C Braakensiek, political cartoonist, Green Amsterdammer 1856 Birthday Georgi Valentinovich Plechanow, born in Tambov, Russia, pseudonym, Volgin, writer, author, organized Russia's first political demonstration 1854 Event Abraham Lincoln made his 1st political speech at Illinois State Fair 1852 Birthday Alfredo Oriani, Italian writer, Political Struggle in Italy 1843 Event 1st blacks participation in national political convention (Liberty Party) 1840 Birthday William G Sumner, U.S. sociologist/political analyst 1840 Birthday Thomas Nast, political cartoonist of late 1800s America 1829 Birthday John Mercer Langston, 1st black to hold U.S. political office 1823 Birthday Boss Tweed, corrupt Democratic political boss, Tammany Hall in New York City 1808 Event Political rights of Jews suspended in Duchy of Warsaw 1806 Birthday John Stuart Mill, UK, philosopher/political economist/Utilitarian 1794 Death Marquis de Condorcet (Marie Jean Antoine Nicholas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet) , philosopher, mathematician, early political scientist and inventor of the Condorcet method, dies 1790 Birthday Jan Ackersdijk, Dutch political economist 1789 Event Society of St. Tammany is formed by Revolutionary War soldiers. It later becomes an infamous group of New York City political bosses 1780 Birthday Elie Decazes, France, Bourbon Restoration political figure 1769 Birthday Jean Baptiste Say, French economist, Political Economics 1756 Birthday William Godwin, philosopher and political writer, Caleb Williams 1737 Birthday Thomas Paine, political essayist, Common Sense, Age of Reason 1648 Birthday Gregory King, English statistician, Natural and Political Observations 1611 Birthday James Harrington, England, political author, Commonwealth of Oceans 1598 Event Edict of Nantes grants political rights to French Huguenots 1577 Event Peace of Bergerac: Political rights for Huguenots 1302 Event Dante becomes a Florentine political exile
