On Sept. 20, 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival, lasting 16 days, opened in France. Among the films honored with the Golden Palm were “The Lost Weekend,” ‘’Brief Encounter,” ‘’Rome, Open City” and “Pastoral Symphony”; “The Battle of the Rails” won the International Jury Prize.

Ten years ago

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez repeatedly referred to President George W. Bush as “the devil” during a speech to the United Nations. The African Union announced it would extend the mandate of a peacekeeping force in Darfur through the end of the year. Nationalist Shinzo Abe became head of Japan’s ruling party by a landslide.

Five years ago

Repeal of the U.S. military’s 18-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise took effect, allowing gay and lesbian service members to serve openly. A suicide bomber posing as a Taliban peace envoy assassinated former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

One year ago

Pope Francis met with Fidel Castro after urging tens of thousands of Cubans to serve one another and not an ideology during a Mass in Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution. The CEO of Volkswagen apologized and VW customers said they felt duped after the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the German automaker had skirted clean air rules by rigging emissions tests for about 500,000 diesel cars. At the Emmys, the HBO series “Game of Thrones” won a record 12 awards; Viola Davis became the first black woman to win an Emmy for best drama series actress for “How to Get Away with Murder.”

— By The Associated Press