1983 - Democratic congressman Harold Washington was elected Chicago’s first black mayor, narrowly winning the racially bitter race against millionaire Republican Bernard Epton. Washington gained the overwhelming support of the black community and substantial backing of Hispanics and white liberals to offset Epton’s advantage in ethnic white wards that broke from their traditional Democratic voting pattern. With 2,810 or 96.4 per cent of the city’s 2,914 precincts reporting, Washington had 640,738 votes or 51.5 per cent, to Epton’s 599,114 or 48.2 per cent. A Socialist candidate won a scattering of votes. Washington’s narrow victory capped a divisive, seven-week campaign that turned largely on race and his past legal problems.
Other important events
1815 - Austria declares war on Joachim Murat, King of Naples, for occupying Rome.
1850 - French troops restore Pope Pius IX and occupy Rome.
1911 - French aviator Pierre Prier makes the first non-stop flight from London to Paris.
1945 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies at 63.
1955 - The Salk vaccine for polio is declared safe and effective.
1956 - Bandaranaike becomes Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
1961 - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man to fly in space.
1981 - The first voyage of the space shuttle Columbia begins. Capt. Robert L. Crippen and John W. Young are on the flight.
1985 - Senator Jake Garn of Utah becomes the first senator to fly in space.
1988 - American singer and actor Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs, California.
1990 - East German parliament names Lothar de Maiziere as prime minister.
1992 - Euro Disneyland, a $4 billion theme park, opens in Marne-La-Vallee, France.
1993 - Nato planes begin patrolling no-fly zone over Bosnia.
2004 - West Indies cricketer Brian Lara reclaims the highest score in Test cricket history and reached 400 not out against England in St John’s, Antigua.
2006 - Death of Indian movie icon Rajkumar sparks violence in India.
2007 - The six-square-kilometre Lulu Island, stretching from the Abu Dhabi breakwater to Mina Zayed, opens to the public.
2009 - Six students from Rashid School for Boys make history as the first Emiratis to reach the Everest base camp.
2010 - An Iranian and a Tajik face 25 years in jail after the Dubai Court of First Instance convicts them of collaboration in Chechen commander Sulim Yamadayev’s assassination.
2012 - UAE recalls ambassador to Iran after Iranian president visits the UAE island of Abu Mousa.
2015 - Hillary Rodham Clinton enters White House race attempting to be first female president of US.
2017 - UAE launches national space programme to reach Mars.
