This Day In History
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1996 Handguns to be banned in the UK
The British Government has announced plans to outlaw almost all handguns following the shocking massacre at Dunblane in Scotland. On 13 March Thomas Hamilton ... -
1964 Khrushchev ‘retires’ as head of USSR
Nikita Khrushchev has unexpectedly stepped down as leader of the Soviet Union. The official Soviet news agency, Tass, announced that a plenary meeting of ... -
1994 Israelis and Arafat share peace prize
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and two Israelis, the Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, have been named the winners of this ... -
1976 China’s ‘Gang of Four’ arrested
The new chairman of China’s Communist Party, Hua Guofeng, has ordered the arrest of four leading radicals in Peking. It is a sign that ... -
1975 Liz Taylor and Richard Burton remarry
Actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor have secretly remarried in Africa only 16 months after getting divorced. The couple who split last year after ... -
1967 Che Guevara ‘shot dead’
Marxist revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara has reportedly been killed during a battle between army troops and guerillas in the Bolivian jungle. A statement issued ... -
2003 The Terminator takes on California
The film star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected governor of California, ousting the incumbent, Gray Davis, three years before his term was due to ... -
1985 Gunmen hijack Italian cruise liner
Palestinian militants have hijacked an Italian cruise liner, the Achille Lauro, in the Mediterranean and threatened to blow it up. The gunmen are demanding ... -
1965 Immigrants feel at home with BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation has announced plans to introduce a new service for Asian immigrants starting next week. The programmes will go out every ... -
1975 Muhammad Ali wins ‘Thrilla in Manila’
US boxer Muhammad Ali has retained the world heavyweight boxing championship after defeating his arch-rival, Joe Frazier, in their third and arguably greatest fight. ... -
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 ...
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