Mississippi was admitted to the Union, making it the 20th American state.
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King Berger of Sweden celebrated Christmas with his brothers before throwing them in his dungeons to die.
One of the biggest heists in Japan occurred.
Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel prize in Literature.
The first Lord of the Rings film installment, 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' directed by Peter Jackson, premiered in London.
The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica was published.
