1938 -- The Czech government agreed to Anglo-French plans to cede the Sudetenland to Germany.

1939 -- In Romania, Prime Minister Armand Calinescu was murdered by the fascist Iron Guard.

1957 -- King Haakon VII of Norway died and was succeeded by his son, Olav V.

1964 -- Malta became independent after 164 years of British rule.

1974 -- The American film actor Walter Brennan died. He was the first actor to win three Academy Awards and was best known for his roles in Westerns such as My Darling Clementine and The Westerner.

1976 -- Former Chilean cabinet minister Orlando Letelier was killed in Washington DC by a bomb placed in his car.

1978 -- Nigeria's rulers announced a new constitution and lifted a ban on political parties that had been in effect since 1966.

1990 -- Marshal Xu Xiangqian, a former Chinese defence minister and veteran of the Communist revolution, died aged 88.

1992 -- The Vatican and Mexico established full diplomatic relations, ending a rift of 130 years.

1996 -- The American film actress Dorothy Lamour died. She was best known for her role in the "Road" movies starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. She was 81.

1999 -- A major earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 2,321 people and injuring 8,712. The quake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.

2001 -- The Dow Jones industrial index of 30 blue chip companies lost 140 points, bringing its loss for the week to 14.2 percent, second only to a 15.5 percent drop in 1933.

2002 -- France's new center-right leaders officially disbanded President Jacques Chirac's 26-year-old Gaullist party to make way for a broader party that restored their conservative majority.