The Tiananmen Square protests were a set of national protests in the People's Republic of China, which occurred between 1989-04-15 and 1989-06-04, centered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The protests were part of a conflict between the Chinese democracy movement and the Communist Party of China. After several weeks, a decision was made to forcibly remove the protesters. Entry of the troops into the city was actively opposed by the citizens of Beijing, and an estimated 2,600 people died in the ensuing conflict. The suppression of the protest was represented for many by the famous footage and photographs of a lone protester, taken on June 5, standing in front of a column of advancing tanks, halting their progress. The "tank man" continued to stand defiantly in front of the tanks for half an hour before an onlooker came over and pulled him away. Despite efforts, to this day no one knows who the solitary figure was; TIME dubbed him "The Unknown Rebel" and later named him one of the "100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century."

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

Today's selected anniversaries:

96 - Nerva became Roman Emperor, ending the Flavian dynasty, and the era of the Five Good Emperors began. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerva)

1850 - United States Congress passed Fugitive Slave Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive_Slave_Law_of_1850)

1851 - New York Times began publishing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times)

1895 - Daniel David Palmer made the first chiropractic adjustment. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer)

1931 - The Mukden Incident: A section of a Japanese-built railroad was allegedly destroyed by Chinese terrorists, providing an excuse for the Japanese annexation of Manchuria. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukden_Incident)

Wikiquote of the day:

"A faith is something you die for, a doctrine is something you kill for. There is all the difference in the world." -- Tony Benn (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tony_Benn)