Today Russia observes Radio Day commemorating the work of Alexander Popov, a pioneer in the development of radio communication.

1895 - In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention - the first in the world radio receiver. In the former Soviet Union this day is celebrated as Day of Radio.

1920 - Kiev Offensive (1920): Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force captured Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.

1920 - Treaty of Moscow (1920): Soviet Russia recognizes independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.

1960 - Cold War: U-2 Crisis - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.

1840 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer is born (d. 1893)

1896 - Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov, Russian mathematician is born (d. 1982)

1682 - Tsar Feodor III of Russia dies (b. 1661)

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1891 - Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1850)

1837 - Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian poet and novelist dies (b. 1799)

1783 - Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy, Russian painter is born (d. 1873)

Today the Orthodoc church commemorates Saint Prochorus of the Kiev Caves Monastery (1107), Saints and Bishops of Novgorod: Joachim (1030), Luke (1059), Germanus (1095), Arcadius (1163), Gregory (1193), Martyrius (1199), Anthony (1232), Basil (1352), and Symeon (1421), Saint Anna, wife of Yaroslav I the Wise, of Novgorod and Kiev (1051), Saint Longinus of Koryazhemsk in Vologda, monk (1540), and New martyr Anatole of Odessa, Metropolitan bishop (1938)

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2006 - Lyubov Polishchuk, Russian actress dies (b. 1949)

2000 - Ukrainian politician Oleksander Moroz begins the Cassette Scandal by publicly accusing President Leonid Kuchma of involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.

1949 - Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer is born (d. 1995)

1915 - Evald Okas, Estonian painter is born

1880 - Alexander Blok, Russian poet is born (d. 1921)

1829 - Anton Rubinstein, Russian composer is born (d. 1894)

1821 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet is born (d. 1878)

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1960 - Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukrainian prime minister is born

1953 - Boris Grebenshchikov, Russian singer is born (Aquarium)

1944 - Leonid Isaakovich Mandelshtam, Russian physicist dies (b. 1879)

1909 - Anatoly Maltsev, Russian mathematician is born (d. 1967)

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973 - Laurence Harvey, Lithuanian-born actor dies (b. 1928)

1887 - Nikolai Vavilov, Russian physicist is born (d. 1943)

1667 - A deadly earthquake rocks Shemakha, Caucasia, killing 80,000 people.

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2006 - Alexander Litvinenko, Russian spy dies (b. 1962)

2003 - Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over flawed elections.

1935 - Vladislav Volkov, Soviet cosmonaut is born (d. 1971)

1890 - El Lissitzky, Russian artist and architect is born (d. 1941)

1875 - Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian literary critic and politician (d. 1933)

1861 - Konstantin Korovin, Russian painter is born (d. 1939)

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1998 - The first module of the International Space Station, Russian Built Zarya, was launched.
1998 - Galina Starovoitova, Russian politician dies (b. 1946)

1995 - Sergei Grinkov, Russian Olympic and World Figure Skating Champion dies (b. 1967)

1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis ends: In response to the Soviet Union’s agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy ends the quarantine of the Caribbean nation.
1957 - Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian-Lithuanian artist dies (d. 1875)

1937 - Viktoriya Tokareva, Russian playwright is born

1928 - Aleksey Batalov, Russian actor is born.
1925 - Maya Plisetskaya, Russian ballet dancer is born.

1917 - Ukraine is declared a republic.1910 (N.S.) - Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist dies (b. 1828)

1908 - Georgy Voronoy, Russian mathematician dies (b. 1868)

1903 - Alexandra Danilova, Russian ballerina is born (d. 1997)

1896 - Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian writer is born (d. 1977)
1894 - Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1829)

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2004 - Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player dies (b. 1941)

1973 - Alexei Urmanov, Russian figure skater is born

1982 - Leonid Borisovitch Kogan, Russian violinist dies (b. 1924)

1982 - Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer dies (b. 1905)

1970 - Luna program: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and was released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.

1969 - Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.

1947 - Victor Serge, Russian anarchist, novelist, and historian dies (b. 1890)

1933 - United States recognizes Soviet Union.

1903 - The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party splits into two groups; the Bolsheviks (Russian for “majority”) and Mensheviks (Russian for “minority”).

1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist is born (d. 1934)

1895 - Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher is born (d. 1975)

1876 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s patriotic Slavonic March made its premiere in Moscow to a warm reception by the Russian people.

1812 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi.

1796 - Catherine II of Russia, Empress of Russia dies (b. 1729)

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1924 - Leonid Borisovitch Kogan, Russian violinist is born (d. 1982)

1872 - Pavel Kiselyov, Russian general and politician dies (b. 1788)

1263 - Alexander Nevsky, Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir dies

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1988 - In the Soviet Union, the unmanned Shuttle Buran is launched on her first and last space flight.

1971 - Rudolf Abel, Soviet spy dies (b. 1903)

1970 - The Soviet Lunokhod 1 moon rover lands on the moon.

1969 - Cold War: The Soviet submarine K-19 collides with the American submarine USS Gato in the Barents Sea.

1925 - Yuli Daniel, Russian writer (d. 1988)

1899 - Avdy Andresson, Estonian statesman (d. 1990)

1895 - Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia is born(d. 1918)

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