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ON THIS DAY 27 December Graphics version >> BBC News >>

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1965: Sea Gem oil rig collapses
Four men are dead and nine are still missing after Britain's first North Sea drilling rig capsizes.

1985: Gunmen kill 16 at two European airports
At least 16 people are killed and more than 100 injured during twin terrorist attacks in Rome and Vienna.

1997: Loyalist leader murdered in prison
A leading protestant paramilitary, Billy Wright, is shot dead at the maximum security Maze prison in Northern Ireland.

1977: Star Wars fever hits Britain
Thousands of people flock to UK cinemas to watch the long-awaited blockbuster, Star Wars.

2004: Yushchenko wins Ukraine election re-run
Ukraine's "orange revolutionaries" celebrate as opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko is declared winner of the presidential election.

1960: France explodes third atomic bomb
The French move a step closer to developing a compact nuclear bomb after a third test in the Sahara desert.

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