
Honore de Balzac

Back in the day


Boris Yeltsin Elected President of Russia

Yeltsin served as Russia's first democratically elected president. He directed the Russian Federation's secession from the USSR and the formation of a new, decentralized confederation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, with himself as its leader. As president, Yeltsin instituted a radical reform program that consisted of the mass privatization of state-run enterprises, after which the country experienced inflation, heavy taxes, and a protracted economic depression. Who succeeded Yeltsin?




Berserkers were ancient Norse warriors legendary for their savagery and reckless frenzy in battle. They appear prominently in a multitude of sagas and poems, many of which describe them as ravenous barbarians who plunder and kill indiscriminately. Their name derives from the Old Norse word beserkr, meaning "bearskin," a title which refers to the animal skins that some warriors wore in battle and contributed to the development of what European legend?

Born on a day like today


Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis with her family in a secret annex above her father's office building. During her two years in hiding, she kept a diary characterized by poignancy, humor, and tart observation. Her family was betrayed to the Germans in 1944, and Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her diary was later recovered and has become an international bestseller, translated into over 60 languages. To whom did Anne address her diary entries?

Last updated on Friday, 12th June 2009

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