On this day in 1644, in opposition to licensing and censorship during the English Civil War, John Milton's Areopagitica was published. It argued for the right to free expression.

On this day in 1971, the People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

On this day in 1996, the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked by three Ethiopians seeking political asylum. It then crashed into the Indian Ocean near Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125 of the 175 people on board.