Reuters
1920 - King Alexander of Greece died from blood poisoning after being bitten by a pet monkey.
1938 - Japanese forces captured the Chinese city of Hankou.
1971 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to admit China to the United Nations and to expel Taiwan.
1976 - Transkei became the first of South Africa's black homelands to be given formal independence.
1999 - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder opened a conference in Bonn with officials from 168 countries aimed at cutting emissions of the "greenhouse gases" blamed for global warming.
1999 - Reigning U.S. Open golf champion Payne Stewart died when his private Lear jet lost cabin pressure. The plane flew on until it ran out of fuel, then crashed.
2000 - Ivory Coast Socialist leader Laurent Gbagbo swept to power in an election, which was followed by a popular revolt that chased out military ruler General Robert Guei.
2002 - The Irish Oscar-nominated actor Richard Harris died. He made his name with such films as "Camelot", "This Sporting Life" and "A Man Called Horse".
2003 - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's wealthiest man and head of the oil giant YUKOS, was arrested on fraud and tax evasion charges.
2004 - The veteran British disc jockey John Peel, who championed new music trends such as punk, reggae and hip-hop on mainstream radio, died aged 65.
2005 - Voters in Iraq ratified a new U.S.-backed constitution in a referendum.
