On this day in 1949, the Government of the Republic of China moved from Nanking to Taipei, Taiwan.
On this day in 1972, Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, was launched.
On this day in 1982, in Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr., became the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States.
On this day in 1988, Yasser Arafat recognized the right of Israel to exist.