How effective was the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in its first phase 3 trial results announced in 2020?

BioNTech and Pfizer said the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in a first look at results from a phase 3 trial involving nearly 44,000 people.

What was the outcome of the 1998 NASDAQ investor price-fixing settlement?

Brokerage houses were ordered to pay NASDAQ investors $1.03 billion in compensation. The entry describes it as the largest civil settlement in U.S. history.

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2026

Q: What happened when East Berlin opened its borders on Nov. 9, 1989?

Thousands arrived at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing after East German government official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that restrictions on travel to the West would be lifted immediately, without delay.

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Summary

Several historical events occurred on Nov. 9, including Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1799 coup in France and East Berlin’s opening of its borders in 1989. In 2020, BioNTech and Pfizer announced that their COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in an early look at phase 3 trial results. Other events listed include political changes in Florence and Japan, conflict between Iraq and Iran, a chemical-element discovery and a civil settlement involving NASDAQ investors.

Key Facts

The 1989 border opening took place at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing after Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that travel restrictions would be lifted immediately.
The 2020 phase 3 trial involved nearly 44,000 people.
Darmstadtium, chemical element 110, was discovered in 1994 at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany.
In 1998, brokerage houses were ordered to pay $1.03 billion to NASDAQ investors in a price-fixing settlement described as the largest civil settlement in U.S. history.

Published Nov 8, 2026 11:20 am KST

1494-Piero the Unfortunate of the de' Medici family, ruler of Florence, loses power and flees the state

1799-Napoleon Bonaparte pulls off a coup and becomes the dictator of France under the title of First Consul

1867-Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and last Tokugawa Shogun in Japan, resigns due to intense political pressure from pro-imperial factions

1980-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declares a holy war against Iran

1989-East Berlin opens its borders at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing when thousands arrive after East German government official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announces that restrictions on travel to the West will be lifted "immediately, without delay"

1994-Darmstadtium, chemical element 110, is discovered at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany

1998-Brokerage houses are ordered to pay $1.03 billion to NASDAQ investors to compensate for price-fixing, the largest civil settlement in US history

2020-Drugmakers BioNTech and Pfizer announce their COVID-19 vaccine is over 90 percent effective in a first look at the results from their phase 3 trial involving nearly 44,000 people

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