1918 - Separation of church and state begins in USSR 1930 - 5th Aliyah to Israel begins 1953 - Sweet rationing imposed in WWII ends in Britain 1958 - Clifton R Wharton confirmed as 1st US African American foreign minister (to Romania) 1958 - Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated as the first President of the United Arab Republic 1972 - Two IRA members are killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely 1998 - Author Tom Clancy confirms he signed agreement to purchase Minnesota Vikings for slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record 2004 - Twenty-three Chinese people drown when a group of 35 cockle-pickers are trapped by rising tides in Morecambe Bay, England. Twenty-one bodies are recovered. More Historical Events »