This Day In History
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2000 Shocking images of boy shot in Gaza
There has been a shocked and angry reaction around the world to TV pictures showing the death of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy caught in ... -
1968 Musical Hair opens as censors withdraw
The American hippy musical “Hair” has opened in London – one day after the abolition of theatre censorship. Until yesterday, some of the scenes ... -
1984 UK and China agree Hong Kong handover
Britain and China have finalised an agreement which will end more than 150 years of UK rule in Hong Kong. The proposal – which ... -
1996 Taleban gains threaten Kabul
Opposition fighters in Afghanistan have reached the eastern suburbs of Kabul and are poised to take control of the country’s capital. Taleban fighters have ... -
1975 First Britons conquer Everest
Dougal Haston and Doug Scott have become the first Britons to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain. The men arrived at the ... -
1951 King has lung operation
Crowds have gathered outside Buckingham Palace for news of King George VI following an operation to remove part of his lung. A bulletin on ... -
1999 UN force arrives in East Timor
A multinational peacekeeping force has landed in East Timor in an attempt to restore law and order to the territory. The UN force has ... -
1970 Rock legend Hendrix dies after party
Guitarist Jimi Hendrix has died after collapsing at a party in London. Police say there was no question of foul play. A number of ... -
1970 Civil war breaks out in Jordan
The Jordanian army has launched a full-scale attack on Palestinian guerrillas in towns all over Jordan following weeks of sporadic fighting between the two ... -
1978 Thousands dead in Iran earthquake
More than 11,000 people are feared dead after an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit the south-east region of Iran. The three-minute ... -
1993 Rabin and Arafat shake on peace deal
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, and the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, have shaken hands before cheering crowds on the White House lawn ... -
2001 US declares war on terror
The President of the United States has described the destruction caused in New York and Washington as an act of war against all freedom-loving ... -
2001 US rocked by day of terror
The United States is in a state of shock after a day of attacks which have left thousands dead and New York’s World Trade ... -
1963 American Express comes to Britain
American Express, one of the world’s largest banking houses, has opened a credit card service in Britain. Holders of the cards will be able ... -
1976 Chairman Mao Zedong dies
The chief architect of the Chinese revolution, Chairman Mao Zedong, has died at the age of 82. His death – at 10 minutes past ... -
1997 Mother Teresa dies
Mother Teresa, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who devoted her life to helping the sick and the poor, has died at the age of ... -
1957 Homosexuality ‘should not be a crime’
A report sponsored by the government has suggested homosexual behaviour between consenting adults should no longer be a criminal offence. The proposal is the ... -
1954 UK National Trust buys remote island
The National Trust for Scotland has taken control of Fair Isle, famous for its bird life and knitted sweaters. The remote island situated between ... -
1945 Japan signs unconditional surrender
Japanese officials have signed the act of unconditional surrender, finally bringing to an end six years of world war. In the presence of 50 ... -
1976 Notting Hill Carnival ends in riot
More than 100 police officers had to be taken to hospital after clashes at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London. Most were released ... -
1950 British troops arrive in Korea
A British force of about 4,000 infantry has arrived in Korea from Hong Kong. The decision to send the troops, as back up for ... -
1963 King’s dream for racial harmony
The fight for racial equality in the United States moved a step closer to victory today as Martin Luther King spoke of his dream ... -
1967 Beatles’ manager Epstein dies
The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, has been found dead at his Belgravia home in London. It is not yet clear how he died. Friends ... -
1994: Man gets ‘bionic’ heart
A man has been given the world’s first battery-operated heart in a pioneering operation in Britain. The patient, an unnamed 62-year-old from the south ... -
1991 Gorbachev punishes coup plotters
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has begun his purge of cabinet members and officials involved in the failed coup four days ago. Two of the ... -
1970 Bobby Moore cleared of stealing
The England soccer captain, Bobby Moore, has been cleared of stealing an emerald bracelet in Colombia. Moore, who captained England to World Cup victory ... -
2003 UN envoy dies in Baghdad bombing
A massive bomb has wrecked the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 17 people including the UN’s chief envoy to Iraq, Sergio ... -
1977 Rock and roll ‘king’ Presley dies
Elvis Presley, whose singing and style revolutionized popular music in the 1950s, has died. Presley, 42, was discovered slumped in a bathroom at his ... -
1965 Los Angeles riot toll keeps rising
At least 28 people have died and hundreds have been injured after a weekend of rioting in Los Angeles. Armed National Guards have been ... -
1980 Shipyard Poles strike for their rights
Shipyard workers in Gdansk, Poland, have staged a successful strike in protest over the dismissal of militant crane driver Anna Walentinowicz. The strike at ... -
1985 Heart-lung transplant makes history
A three-year-old boy from Dublin has become the world’s youngest heart and lung transplant patient. Jamie Gavin had the four-hour operation at Harefield Hospital ... -
2003 Gilligan language ‘wasn’t perfect’
The journalist at the centre of the controversy surrounding the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly has admitted that his language “wasn’t perfect” ... -
1974 Ford takes over as Nixon quits
Vice President Gerald Ford has been sworn in as the 38th president of the United States following Richard Nixon’s decision to stand down. The ... -
1974 President Nixon to resign from office
Richard Nixon has announced he is stepping down as president of the United States – the first man ever to do so. He has ... -
1972 Asians given 90 days to leave Uganda
The Ugandan leader, Idi Amin, has set a deadline for the expulsion of most of the country’s Asians. General Amin said all Asians who ...
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