166 years ago today, on January 24, 1859 (December 21, 1858 lunar calendar), the two principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia united to become Romania. After the Crimean War, France advocated the merger of the two principalities to prevent Russia from moving south. The Principality of Wallachia and the Principality of Moldavia merged in 1859, and after the merger, it was called Romania, which was attached to the Ottoman Empire. And declared independence on May 9, 1877. In 1878, the region of Southern Bessarabia belonged to Russia. In 1881, Romania was renamed the Kingdom of Romania. In January 1918, Moldova (Bessarabia) declared independence and merged with Romania in March of the same year. After World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, allowing Romania to expand further into the regions of Valezia, Bucovina, and Bessarabia. In 1940, the Soviet Union occupied part of Romania, which became modern-day Moldova (Moldavia in Latin) and a small part of Ukraine.