On December 23

The Guinean military engineered a coup d'état, announcing that it planned to rule the country for two years prior to a new presidential election.

The Pioneer Helmet, one of only six Anglo-Saxon helmets to be discovered, was first placed on public display.

About 88 percent of eligible voters in Slovenia voted to secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

An engine fire caused Aeroflot Flight 3519 to crash shortly after takeoff from Krasnoyarsk, USSR, killing all but one of the 111 people on board.

Tokyo Tower, then the world's tallest freestanding tower, opened.

Leading the Australia national cricket team, Ian Craig became the youngest-ever Test cricket captain at the time.

The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was enacted, lifting most of the existing common-law restrictions on women in the United Kingdom.

First World War: Allied forces gained a strategic victory at the Battle of Magdhaba on the Sinai Peninsula.

During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (pictured) severed part of his left ear and gave it to a woman in a brothel in Arles, France.

Jane Austen's novel Emma was first published, the last novel released during her lifetime.

George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis (painting shown).

American Revolutionary War: American troops, overwhelmed by British reinforcements, retreated from the Battle of Iron Works Hill.

Yohl Ikʼnal (signature pictured) acceded to the throne of the Maya city-state of Palenque.