On this day in 1940, The Soviet troops annexed Latvia as a part of the Germano-Soviet pact and shared sphere of influence prior to World War Two. Latvia was to regain its independence only 50 years later.

The government led by Indulis Emsis withstood the vote of confidence in the Parliament. With the recent victory in the European Parliament elections, the opposition parties Jaunajs Laiks and TB/LNNK argued that their victory was a mistrust to the government. 31 MPs voted no on the vote of confidence.

Here's something that would never pass in the United States: according to the 2002 Saeima legislation, if a pupil does not succeed in his grade, he cannot be moved to the next grade. As a result, this summer, nearly 3,000 9th graders did not graduate.