This Day in History: Turkish man, Mehmet Ali, who tried to kill Pope John Paul II, released from prison

The following are some of the major events to have occurred on January 18:

1919 – The Versailles Peace Conference ending World War One opened. It was chaired by French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.

1943 – After seven days of heavy fighting, Soviet troops relieved Leningrad after a 16-month German siege.

1989 – Mick Jagger, Tina Turner perform together at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1991 – Iraq fired at least eight missiles at Israel in an attempt to get the Jewish state involved in the Gulf War.

2003 – Protesters took to the streets from Tokyo to London to San Francisco in anti-war demonstrations fired up by speculation that a U.S.-led strike on Iraq was drawing near.

2005 – European planemaker Airbus launched the A380, hailed as the largest civil airliner ever built, capable of carrying up to 800 passengers.

2007 – Atomic scientists adjust Doomsday clock, placing hands at five minutes to midnight in light of global nuclear threat.

2007 – London’s Metropolitan Police break world record for most people handcuffed together.

2008 – Prized 2,500-year-old Euphronios Krater vase unveiled in Rome.

2010 – Mehmet Ali Agca, who tried to kill Pope John Paul II, is released from a Turkish prison.

2014 – Syrian opposition agrees to attend international peace talks.

(Reuters)