Cold War: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolution" id="mwAS4" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Velvet Revolution">Velvet Revolution</a> begins: In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia" id="mwAS8" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Czechoslovakia">Czechoslovakia</a>, a student demonstration in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague" id="mwATA" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Prague">Prague</a> is quelled by riot police. This sparks an uprising aimed at overthrowing the communist government (it succeeds on December 29).