GMT

1989 - Germany -- Brandenburg Gate Open
1989 : The Brandenburg Gate has been opened for the first time in almost three decades. The West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German Prime Minister, and thousands of German people flooded through from either side of the city.
1997 - England -- BSE Inqiry Started
An independent inquiry into the BSE "disaster" and the devastation it wreaked on British farming has been announced by the government. Included in the Inquiry will be report on the origins and the way in which authorities responded to it and the development of its human equivalent Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, CJD.
The results of the inquiry published in October 2000 included poor enforcement of the 1989 ban on specified bovine offal (brain, spinal cord and other tissue)
The government at the time played down the links between BSE-infected beef and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
The government at the time misled the public about the risks posed by so-called mad cow disease
1906 - Canada -- Japanese navy Visit
A visit from the Japanese navy was expected in Vancouver. Officials in Ottawa were informed that three vessels led by Rear Admiral Katouka would visit the following March.
1927 - Philippines -- Leper Colony
An institution for saving the children of the Culion leper colony was run by the public welfare commissioner in Manila. The children were watched for signs of leprosy and given schooling.
1932 - Spain -- Civil War
1932 : A war in Spain was causing deep divisions in U.S. politics and it was feared that the war would spark a massive European conflict.
1939 - Germany -- Train Crash
Two trains collide in Magdeburg, Germany, killing more than 100 people
1942 - Italy -- German Supplies
Although Italy was politically and economically unstable and somewhat of a liability for Germany as a war ally, the Germans supplied Italy with coal, iron, and fuel in return for tanks, planes, weapons, and food.
1952 - U.S.A. -- First Corvette
The first Corvette, a production-ready prototype, is completed, it is shipped to New York where it made its public debut at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 17
1956 - U.S.A. -- Baby Gorilla Born
A baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity
1959 - Denmark -- Members Of Communist Party Sent To Jail
1959 : In Denmark seven Danish citizens were convicted and sent to jail for being members of the Communist Party and spying for East Germany. Their sentences were from 18 months to 5 years.
1968 - Canada -- Voting Age
Canada and the U.S. were the only countries in the world where the voting ages differ according to which province or state you live in. Quebec and Saskatchewan allowed teenagers 18 years old to vote, whereas British Columbia allowed 19 year olds to vote.
1972 - Argentina -- Plane Crash Andes
December 22nd, 1972 : 14 survivors from a plane that crashed in the Argentine Andes over two months earlier, two of the survivors reached civilization yesterday after a 10 day trek to get help. The survivors had lived on chocolate bars, sweets and light food they found in luggage.
1977 - U.S.A. -- President Jimmy Carter
President Jimmy Carter had his first year as president. His White House staff was inexperienced, however Carter got strip-mine control legislation through Congress -- a matter which had stumped Republicans for years.
1984 - U.S.A. -- Subway Vigilante
Bernhard Goetz shoots four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. He is dubbed the "Subway Vigilante" by the New York press and becomes a symbol of New Yorkers' frustrations with a high crime rate.
1987 - Japan -- Minke Whales Killing
1987 : One hundred Minke whales were going to be killed in the Antarctic by Japan. Their Fisheries Department termed it "scientific whaling" but some felt it really was an excuse for commercial whaling.

JOTD - What's the best thing about Switzerland?

I don't know, but their flag is a big plus!!