Important Events From This day in History – 23rd December

Today in History

• 1994 Organized crime boss Whitey Bulger goes into hiding

  The convicted murderer remained hidden for 16 years, causing the American Federal Bureau of Investigations great embarrassment. In 2011, he was finally apprehended.

• 1990 Slovenian referendum on independence from Yugoslavia

  In 1945, the Eastern European country became a socialist republic within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Slovenia gained its independence only in June 1991, when the Slovenians rejected Yugoslav interference in the form of a 10-day war that ended on July 7, 1991. On December 23, 1991, the country’s new constitution was enacted.

• 1975 Metric Conversion Act signed by U.S. President Gerald Ford

  The act established the metric system as the preferred weights and measures system in the United States. Today, the metric system is primarily used by scientists and academics in the United States. The common people tend to stick to the customary units before American independence. The United States is one of only three countries worldwide that does not use the metric system. The other two countries are Liberia and Myanmar.

• 1958 Tokyo Tower opened to the public

  At 333 meters tall, it is the world’s tallest, self-supported steel tower. It is based on the Eiffel Tower and is used for communication purposes.

• 1888 Vincent van Gogh cuts off his ear

  It is now thought that the Dutch painter was having a psychotic break at the time of the incident. After chopping off his left ear, Van Gogh bandaged his head and gave the severed ear to a prostitute for safe keeping.