This Day In History
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1978 Spain set to vote for democracy
Spaniards have been turning out in force today to cast a vote for democracy and end almost 40 years of dictatorial rule. The majority ... -
1991 Maxwell business empire faces bankruptcy
Administrators have been called in to try to salvage the Maxwell business empire, which is at least £1bn in debt. At 1100 GMT two ... -
1961 Birth control pill ‘available to all’
Women who wish to have oral contraception will now be able to get it on the National Health Service. The Health Minister, Enoch Powell, ... -
1989 Malta summit ends Cold War
The leaders of the two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, have declared an end to the Cold War after two days of ... -
1954 US pledges to defend Nationalist China
US President Dwight D Eisenhower has announced the signing of a pact of mutual security with the Nationalist Chinese Government. Secretary of State John ... -
1975 Graham Hill killed in air crash
One of Britain’s greatest motor racing drivers has been killed in a plane crash in south-east England. Graham Hill, 46, who retired from the ... -
1990 Tearful farewell from Iron Lady
Britain has a new prime minister for the first time in more than 11 years. Margaret Thatcher formally tendered her resignation to the Queen ... -
1975 TV presenter Ross McWhirter shot dead
Guinness Book of Records co-founder and editor Ross McWhirter has been shot dead outside his North London home. Mr McWhirter was hit at close ... -
1983 £25m gold heist at Heathrow
An armed gang has carried out Britain’s largest ever robbery at London’s Heathrow Airport. Over £25m worth of gold bullion bound for the Far ... -
1963 John F Kennedy is laid to rest
The funeral of the assassinated President, John F Kennedy, has taken place in Washington. An estimated 800,000 Americans lined the streets to watch the ... -
1963 Kennedy shot dead in Dallas
The President of the United States has been assassinated by a gunman in Dallas, Texas. John F Kennedy was hit in the head and ... -
1985 Superpowers aim for ‘safer world’
The Geneva summit has ended in optimism but with no agreement on the “Star Wars” space defence system. Both United States President Ronald Reagan ... -
1995 Diana admits adultery in TV interview
Diana, Princess of Wales, has spoken openly for the first time about her separation from the Prince of Wales in a frank interview for ... -
1985 Superpower summit ‘off to good start’
The first meeting in six years between the world’s superpowers – the United States and the Soviet Union – has begun in Switzerland. Early ... -
1978 Mass suicide leaves 900 dead
The bodies of 914 people, including 276 children, have been found in Guyana in South America. Most of the dead – members of the ... -
1951Murder on Malay rubber estate
Anti-government rebels have ambushed and killed 11 people in an attack on a rubber plantation in Malaya. The dead include a London director visiting ... -
1981 Military crackdown on Polish people
Poland’s military rulers have declared a state of emergency after imposing martial law and placing leaders of the Solidarity trade union under arrest. The ... -
1971 American probe orbits Mars
The American space probe, Mariner 9, has become the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, swinging into its planned trajectory around Mars without a ... -
1980 Saturn’s rings caught on film
The Voyager 1 space probe has reached the ringed planet, Saturn and sent back the first vivid photographs of the planet. Scientists have been ... -
1987 Van Gogh fetches record price
A painting by Vincent Van Gogh has been sold for $49m (£27m) – a world record for a work of art. The final price ... -
1990 Ireland elects first woman president
Voters in the Republic of Ireland have chosen their first female president. Unofficial returns suggest that Mary Robinson, who is standing as an independent, ... -
1972 Nixon takes second term by landslide
President Richard Nixon has won an overwhelming victory in the US presidential elections for a second term in the White House. He took 61% ... -
1968 Nixon wins close contest for president
After a day when the United States appeared to be on the brink of a constitutional crisis, Richard Nixon has finally emerged as the ... -
1966 Viet Cong bombs Saigon
At least eight people have been killed and several wounded after Viet Cong artillery shelled the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon. Altogether about 30 shells ... -
1984 Indian prime minister shot dead
Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, has been killed by assassins in New Delhi. Mrs Gandhi was thought to have been walking through ... -
1957 Lords to admit first women peers
The Government has unveiled plans to reform the House of Lords which include admitting women for the first time. Under the scheme, male and ... -
1975 Franco’s 36-year reign ends
General Franco’s dictatorship has effectively ended with the announcement heir designate Prince Juan Carlos will take over as provisional head of state for Spain. ... -
1979 Chairman Hua arrives in London
The first Chinese leader to visit Britain, Chairman Hua Kuo-Feng, has arrived in London at the start of a six-day visit. He was welcomed ... -
1984 Europe grants emergency aid for Ethiopia
The EEC is donating £1.8 million to help combat the famine in Ethiopia. Officials from Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid and the Red ... -
1986 UK cuts links with Syria over bomb plot
The UK government has broken off diplomatic relations with Syria following revelations of official complicity in Nezar Hindawi’s plot to blow up an El ... -
1951 Churchill denies ‘warmonger’ claims
The Conservative leader, Winston Churchill, has wound up his election campaign with a hard-hitting speech in which he vigorously denied accusations of warmongering. The ... -
1966 Double-agent breaks out of jail
One of Britain’s most notorious double-agents, George Blake, has escaped from prison in London after a daring break-out believed to have been masterminded by ... -
2001 Anthrax claims third victim in US
A third person has been diagnosed in the US with the most serious form of anthrax. The unnamed Washington postal worker is being treated ... -
1989 East Germany leader ousted
The Communist leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, has been forced to step down as leader of the country. After 18 years in power ... -
1968 Black athletes make silent protest
Two black American athletes have made history at the Mexico Olympics by staging a silent protest against racial discrimination. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, ...
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