HISTORY
On this day December 27-January 1, 2022 (week 52)
December 26, 2021 - January 1, 2022 - Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the end of the Soviet Union. Princess Leia in Star Wars, trade with China, French designer Pierre Cardin, President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, the first Covid-19 cases in Wuhan, China, and the discovery of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
December 26, 1991: The hammer and sickle flag was lowered for the last time and the Soviet Union was formally dissolved, one day after the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev
December 27, 2016: Carrie Fisher, best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars, died aged 60. Her mother, Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds, died one day later, aged 84
December 28, 2001: The U.S. granted permanent normal trade relations status to China, rather than renewing annually
December 29, 2020: French designer Pierre Cardin, who revolutionised fashion in the 1960s and 70s with his futuristic looks and pioneering approach to merchandise, died at age 98
December 30, 2006: Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was hanged in Baghdad
December 31, 2019: Health authorities in Wuhan, China, reported 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown origin, mostly stallholders from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market
January 1, 1502: Portuguese navigators discovered a large bay on the coast of Brazil and named it Rio de Janeiro