Today:
1. 1929: The Lateran Treaty was signed, recognizing the Vatican City as an independent state under the sovereignty of the Holy See.
2. 1990: Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison after 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa.
3. 2006: Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington during a quail hunting trip in Texas.
4. 2013: Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, becoming the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years.