Thursday, December 17, 2026

The first victims of a mass methanol poisoning which eventually killed over 70 inhabitants of Irkutsk, Russia, began arriving at hospitals.

Arab Spring: Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid, set himself on fire in protest against police harassment, triggering the Tunisian revolution.

American gay rights activist William E. Woods brought three same-sex couples to fill out marriage licenses in Honolulu.

The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a car bomb outside Harrods in London, killing six people and injuring about 90 others.

Polish soldiers fired at workers (memorial pictured) emerging from trains in Gdynia, beginning the government's crackdown on mass anti-communist protests across the country.

Harold Holt, the prime minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming near Portsea, Victoria; his body was never recovered.

The Civil Rights Congress presented a document to the United Nations Genocide Convention charging the United States government with genocide against African Americans.

The Finnish Security Police was established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.