Today is Tuesday, December 27, the 361st day of 2011. There are four days left in the year.
1825 ― First public railroad using steam locomotive completed in England
1831 ― Darwin begins his voyage to South America on board the HMS Beagle
1845 ― Ether first used in childbirth in U.S., Jefferson,Ga.1927 ― Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, Trotsky expelled
1934 ― Shah of Persia declares Persia now Iran
1945 ― International Monetary Fund established and World Bank founded
1970 ― ``Hello, Dolly!" closes at St. James Theater, NYC, after 2,844 performances
1972 ― New North Korean Constitution comes into effect
1979 ― Soviet troops invade Afghanistan, President Hafizullah Amin overthrown
1992 ― ``Les Miserables" opens at Ostregaswerks, Copenhagen