This Day In European History
8th December
Events1644: Queen Christina of Sweden turns 18 and assumes control of her nation.
1854: Pope Pius IX publishes 'Ineffabilis Deus', legitimizing the concept of Immaculate Conception.
1864: Brunel's Clifton suspension bridge opens.
1991 The Soviet Union is officially replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Births
65 BCE: Horace, Roman poet.
1542: Mary, Queen of Scots.
1626: Queen Christina of Sweden.
1708: Holy Roman Emperor Francis I.
1815: Adolf Menzel, German painter.
1865: Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer.
Deaths
1550: Giovanni Giorgio Trissino, Italian author.
1626: John Davies, English poet.
1830: Benjamin Constant de Rebecque, Franco-Swiss writer.
1864: George Boole, English mathematician.
1980: John Lennon, British musician.
