In 1887 in Montana the largest snowflakes fall. They were 38 centimetres in size and 20 centimetres thick.

In 1921 an unknown soldier is buried beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. An eternal light burns in memory of all those who died in the First World War and were never identified.

In 1945 the iron gates of the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, located between Krakow and Katowice, close. The camp was open from May 1940. During the five years it was in operation 4 million people lost their lives there. Only six thousand of them survived to see liberation.

In 1972 in Czechoslovakia a JAT Yugoslav Airlines passenger aircraft DC-9 explodes while en route from Stockholm to Belgrade. The only survivor is stewardess Vesna Vulović. Jump to:

In 1993 Czech writer Vaclav Havel becomes first president of the Czech Republic.

In 1998 American President Bill Clinton on television publicly denies that he had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.

In 2004 Slovenia ratifies the accession treaty to the European Union.

MUSIC HISTORY
1961 - Elvis Presley is No. 1 on the British singles chart with 'Are You Lonesome Tonight'.
1965 - Petula Clark is at the top of the American singles chart with 'Downtown', the still very young Jimmy Page played the guitar in this song.
1973 - Sweet is in 1. Place on the British singles chart with 'Blockbuster'.
1974 - Mud is at No. 1 on the British singles chart with 'Tiger Feet'.

BORN ON THIS DAY
1957 - Eddie Van Halen, guitarist in the group Van Halen (1984 'Jump').
1958 – soul singer Anita Baker (1986 'Sweet Love').
1963 - Andrew Ridgeley, with George Michael create the duo Wham (1984 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go').