Today in History: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union

The following are some of the major notable events that occurred on December 8 throughout history:

395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.

877 – Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.

1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare’s play Othello.

1933 – An anarchist insurrection breaks out in Zaragoza, Spain.

1943 – World War II: The German 117th Jäger Division destroys the monastery of Mega Spilaio in Greece and executes 22 monks and visitors as part of reprisals that culminated a few days later with the Massacre of Kalavryta.

1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.

1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

2013 – Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first musical act to perform on all seven continents.

2024 – Damascus falls to rebels after Syrian troops withdraw and president Bashar al-Assad leaves the country as his government collapses. Israel as a result invaded into the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.