1992 - Severiano Ballesteros’ nerve was as strong as ever when, having bailed himself out with a putt of 10 feet to tie Ronan Rafferty, he holed another of similar length at the second extra hole to win the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club. It was the 50th victory in Ballesteros’ career in a European Tour event, the 17th consecutive year in which he has won at least once and had all the qualities of the fearless competitor he has always been. One nevertheless had to have some sympathy for Rafferty, who was within ‘half a ball’ of holing the putt that would have won the tournament on the final green, but then fell victim to Ballesteros’ magical pitching and putting. Rafferty had held the advantage for most of the afternoon.
Other important events
1788 - Austria’s Joseph II declares war on Turkey.
1801 - Peace of Luneville between Austria and France marks virtual destruction of Holy Roman Empire.
1825 - US House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams as President after no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes.
1849 - Rome is proclaimed republic under Giuseppe Mazzini.
1870 - The US Weather Bureau is established.
1895 - Volleyball is invented by W.G. Morgan in Massachusetts
1923 - Soviet Aeroflot airlines is formed.
1961 - Joseph Ileo is appointed Prime Minister of Congo.
1962 - Jamaica signs an agreement to become an independent nation within the British Commonwealth.
1971 - Earthquake near Los Angeles kills at least 64 people.
1982 - Umm Lulu,’ a new oil field, is struck in northwest offshore Abu Dhabi.
1984 - Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov dies less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev.
1985 - Arabsat, the Arab world’s first communication satellite, is launched.
1991 - American boxer Sugar Ray Leonard ends his career after losing to Terry Norris.
1998 - American University of Sharjah is officially opened.
2000 - Torrential rains in Africa lead to the worst flooding in Mozambique in 50 years and kill 800 people.
2001 - US Navy submarine collides with a Japanese fishing vessel about 16 kilometres south of Honolulu, Hawaii, sinking the ship and leaving nine of its passengers missing at sea.
2004 - A ground-breaking Dh20 billion plan to develop Dubailand is unveiled in Dubai.
2005 - Pakistan and Sri Lanka sign a ground-breaking free trade agreement.
2009 - Bangladesh and India sign two important deals to boost trade and discuss ways to prevent cross-border militant attacks.
2011 - Khalifa Marine Research Centre opens in Umm Al Quwain.
2015 - Egypt suspends all football league matches after clashes and stampede at Cairo stadium, which killed 22 people.
