On this day in 1908, Taiwan’s West Coast Railway Trunk Line from Keelung to Kaohsiung, with a total length of 405 km, began operations.
On this day in 1944, Britain’s Royal Air Force dropped a record 4,500 tons of bombs on Germany in a single raid.
On this day in 1945, Soviet troops penetrated Berlin’s defenses.
And on this day in 1984, Britain announced that its administration of Hong Kong would cease in 1997 when the colony was set to be returned to mainland China.