In Photos: This Week in History

1958: Chicago school fire kills over 90

A disastrous fire breaks out in a rubbish pile in the basement of Our Lady of Angels School in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. More than 90 people, including students and nuns, died in the tragedy.

1959: Antarctica becomes military-free continent

The Antarctica Treaty is signed by 12 nations, including the U.S., Australia, Chile, U.K. and Norway. It banned all military activity and weapons testing on the icy continent.

1976: Assassination attempt on Bob Marley

Two shots are fired at the singer, prior to ‘Smile Jamaica,’ a free concert organised by the Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups.

1989: Bush and Gorbachev declare Cold War over

At Malta Summit, US President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev issue statements suggesting that the long-standing animosities at the core of the Cold War might be coming to an end. Commentators in both the United States and Russia went farther and declared that the Cold War was over.

1783: Washington bids farewell to his officers

General George Washington bids farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York, after leading the army through six long years of war against the British.