Apartheid in South Africa comes to an end. In a referendum, 68.7% of white South Africans voted for an abolishment of racial segregation in the country.

The photograph known as Burst of joy is taken. Photographer Slava Veder was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the image depicting a former U.S. prisoner of war being reunited with his family.

Golda Meir becomes Israel's first female Prime Minister. In her country, Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” long before British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher rose to power.

The Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India. Followers and advisers of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, feared for his life after a revolt had erupted in Lhasa against the Chinese.

The National Gallery of Art opens in Washington. D.C.. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the gallery, which today houses one of the world's finest art collections.