Queen Isabella of Castille issued the Alhambra Decree in 1492, ordering the 150,000 Jews in Castille to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. The Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in 1889. Construction began on the RMS Titanic in 1909. The Royal Australian Air Force was established in 1921. Around 200,000 gathered in London to protest the poll tax in 1990.
Born today: René Descartes (1596-1650), Andrew Marvell (1621-1678), Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883), Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929), Octavio Paz (1914-1998), César Chávez (1927-1993), Gordie Howe (1928), Shirley Jones (1934), Christopher Walken (1943), Angus Young (1955) and Ewan McGregor (1971).
It is Freedom Day in Malta.
