Costa Rica abolishes its army

After a six-week civil war over a disputed election in 1948, the victorious José Figueres announced the abolition of Costa Rica's army on 1 December, striking a wall of the Bellavista barracks in San José with a sledgehammer. The 1949 constitution made the ban permanent, and governments since have pointed to the savings spent on schools and health care. The barracks became the National Museum.