In 1989 Millions of Russians vote showing massive losses to the Communist Party. Communism began in Russia with the ‘Red October’ revolution in 1917 which followed the February Revolution that removed the Tsars from power. During World War II Russia expanded and took over several countries which became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Massive spending on its military to compete with the US during the cold war, and poverty in the USSR began to really show in the beginning of the 1980’s when they started relying on financial help from the West. The people of the USSR suffered and became angry with the corrupt Communism regime. They showed their growing anger in the polls held on this day in 1989 which left many communist officials defeated. Almost a year later on March the 11th 1990 Lithuania (one of the republics of the USSR taken in World War II) took the unprecedented step as declaring their independence from the USSR. President Mikhail Gorbachev had changed a policy which stated that the USSR had the right to stop communist countries from changing their constitution and Lithuania took this as a chance to escape. Gorbachev had not meant for the policy change to extend to the republics of the USSR and he ordered them to retract their declaration of independence or face the consequences. They were given until the 17th of March but instead of obeying Russia they defiantly re-enforced their declaration by asking other nations to officially recognise their independence. Russia met this defiance by sending in troops to the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius. Talks began between Moscow and Lithuania but they broke down by January 1991 and Russian troops began to open fire on Lithuanian civilians. A referendum held in February overwhelmingly called for Independence and by September they had gained their Independence. In December 1991 Lithuania’s victorious struggle started 11 of the 12 other Soviet Republics to declare Independence and they formed the Commonwealth of Independent States. Gorbachev was arrested after a coup began but failed when Boris Yeltsin called on the people to resist the regime change. Gorbachev resigned a few days later and the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Shortly after Boris Yeltsin was elected President and he started introducing capitalism into Russia bringing an end to Communism.

In 1977 The worlds worst aviation disaster took place at an airport on the Island of Tenerife. 583 people died in a collision between two jumbo jets on the runway in dense fog. A Pan American 747 was taking off for its destination of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria (another island of the Canaries) when it was clipped by a Dutch KLM 747 which was taxiing on the runway without clearance. Neither plane was meant to be at the Los Rodeos airport on Tenerife but because of a bomb explosion at a flower shop at the airport in Gran Canaria they had both been diverted to Tenerife.