Important Events From This day in History – 29th December

Today in History

• 1996 Guatemalan civil war comes to an end

  The 36-year civil war between several leftist groups representing indigenous people and the poor and the government ended when Comandante Rolando Morán of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity and President lvaro Arz signed a peace treaty under the supervision of the United Nations. Morán and Arz were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their contributions to the country’s peacekeeping efforts.

• 1937 Ireland established

  A national referendum resulted in the adoption of a new constitution, which changed the name of the Irish Free State to Ireland. The Irish Free State became a member of the British Commonwealth in 1922, following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921.

• 1916 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man published

  The book follows the life of Stephen Dedalus, who many believe was the author’s alter ego, and is the first novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It began as a series in The Egoist’s literary magazine before being published by the American publisher B. W. Huebsch. James Joyce is best known for his novel Ulysses, which follows the life of advertising agent Leopold Bloom for one day. On June 16, fans of the author observe Bloomsday, an unofficial holiday in honour of the book.

• 1911 Mongolian Independence

  Following the Mongolian Revolution of 1911, the landlocked North East Asian country declared independence from the Qing Dynasty. For about 200 years, the country was ruled by the Qing.

• 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre

  On this day, the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army attempted to disarm members of the Lakota tribe who were camped at Wounded Knee Creek. A shot was fired during their attempt, and the cavalry massacred over 150 members of the tribe, including women and children. Many historians believe that the number of victims was much higher. Wounded Knee is located near the current Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.