1999 - Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist dies (b. 1922)

1971 - Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player is born

1872 - Serge Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario (Ballets Russes) is born (d. 1929)

1872 - Alexandra Kollontai, Russian ambassador to Norway is born (d.1952)

1966 - The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first spaceprobe to enter orbit around the Moon.

1942 - Holocaust in Ivano-Frankivsk (then called Stanislawow), western Ukraine. German Gestapo organise the first deportation of 5.000 Jews from Stanislawow ghetto to Belzec death camp. It was one of the biggest transports to Belzec in the first phase of the camp.

1847 - Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician is born (d. 1878)

1783 - Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian statesman dies (b. 1718)

1340 - Ivan I of Russia, Prince of Moscow dies (b. 1288)

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2003 - Valentin Pavlov, Prime Minister of the Soviet Union dies (b. 1937)

1959 - Daniil Andreev, Russian writer and mystic dies (b. 1906)

1945 - World War II: Soviet Union forces invade Austria and take Vienna, Polish and Soviet forces liberate Gda?sk.

1894 - Sergey Ilyushin, Russian aerospace engineer (d. 1977)

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Today in History

1948 - Olev Siinmaa, Estonian architect is born (b. 1881)

1940 - Alexander Obolensky, Russian prince and famed Rugby Union footballer who played for England dies .(b. 1916)

1931 - Aleksei Gubarev,  cosmonaut is born

1899 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader is born (d. 1953)

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Today in History

1985 - Marc Chagall, Russian-born painter dies (b. 1887)

1943 - Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian composer and pianist dies (b. 1873)

1912 - Marina Raskova, Russian navigator is born (d. 1943)

1868 - Maxim Gorky, Russian author is born (d. 1936)

1854 - Crimean War: France and Britain declare war on Russia.

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Today in History

1968 - Yuri Gagarin, Soviet Cosmonaut, first human in space dies in aircraft training accident.

1958 - Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.

1886 - Sergey Kirov, Russian bolshevik leader is born (d. 1934)

1883 - Marie Under, Estonian author and poet is born (d. 1980)

1854 - Crimean War: United Kingdom declares war on Russia.

1642 - The sixth Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Joseph takes his office

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Today in History

1945 - Mikhail Voronin, gymnast is born (d. 2004)

Today the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Larissa and the synaxis of St. Gabriel the Archangel

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Today is Freedom Day in Belarus;

Today in History

2006 - Protesters demanding a re-election in Belarus following the rigged Belarusian presidential election, 2006 clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin was among several protesters arrested.

1992 - Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returns to Earth after a 10-month stay aboard the Mir space station.

1982 - Sergey Yakovlev, russian musical artist and painter is born

1976 - Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer is born

1949 - The extensive deportation campaign known as March deportation was conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to force collectivisation by way of terror. The Soviet authorities deported more than 92,000 people from Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.

1918 - The Belarusian People’s Republic was established.

1917 - The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811.

1479 - Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow is born (d. 1533)

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Today in History

2006 - Long-term protests in Belarus are broken by police.

1946 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player dies (b. 1892)

1921 - Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player is born

1891 - Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Soviet physicist is born (d. 1951)

1888 - Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author dies (b. 1855)

1888 - Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician is born (d. 1922)

1887 - Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic dies (b. 1837)

1782 - Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter is born (d. 1836)

In ancient Latvia - Kazimiras Diena observed.

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Today in History

2001 - The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.

1994 - Aeroflot Flight 593 crashes in Siberia when the pilot’s fifteen-year old son accidentally disengages the autopilot, killing 75.

1971 - Alexander Selivanov,  ice hockey player is born

1934 - Ludvig Faddeev, Russian mathematician is born

1931 - Yevgenij Grishin, Russian speed skater is born (d. 2005)

1931 - Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess player is born

1915 - Vasily Zaitsev,  World War II hero is born (d. 1991)

1887 - Prince Felix Yussupov, assassin of Rasputin is born (d. 1967)

1801 - Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death in his bedroom at St. Michael’s Castle.

In ancient Latvia - Lieldienas held in honor of Mara and other pagan goddesses.

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Today in History

1966 - Artis Pabriks, Latvian politician is born

1955 - Valdis Zatlers, 7th President of Latvia is born

1915 - Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and writer is born (d. 2005)

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