This Day In History
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1997 Hong Kong handed over to Chinese control
Hong Kong has been handed back to the Chinese authorities – ending more than 150 years of British control. The British flag was lowered ... -
2004 US transfers power back to Iraq
The United States has handed power back to the Iraqi people at a low-key ceremony in Baghdad. US administrator Paul Bremer transferred sovereignty to ... -
1986 US guilty of backing Contras
The United States has been found guilty of violating international law by supporting armed Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The International Court of Justice ruled ... -
1963: Kennedy: ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’
The US President, John F Kennedy, has made a ground-breaking speech in Berlin offering American solidarity to the citizens of West Germany. A crowd ... -
1950 UN condemns North Korean invasion
North Korea has invaded South Korea at several points along the two countries’ joint border. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has denounced North ... -
1983 US astronaut Sally Ride returns
America’s first woman in space has returned safely to Earth in the Challenger space shuttle after a successful six-day flight. Sally Ride, aged 32, ... -
1945 US troops take Okinawa
The Japanese island of Okinawa has finally fallen to the Americans after a long and bloody battle. The island, situated 340 miles (550km) south ... -
1965 Students protest after Algiers coup
Police in the Algerian capital Algiers have broken up demonstrations by hundreds of people who have taken to the streets chanting slogans in support ... -
1986 Soviets launch space station Mir
The Soviets have opened a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world’s biggest space station, Mir. The successful launch of ... -
1999 Anti-capitalism demo turns violent
Police and protesters have clashed at a demonstration against capitalism in the centre of London’s financial district. The rally was timed to coincide with ... -
1980 Government announces missile sites
The locations for the first US nuclear cruise missiles to be stored on British soil have been revealed by the government. Secretary of State ... -
1972 Pilots threaten worldwide strike
Hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers face flight delays and cancellations after pilots threatened to strike over hijack fears. The International Federation of Air Line ... -
1967 Moscow calls for UN action against Israel
The United Nations Security Council has rejected Soviet demands for an immediate vote on a resolution condemning Israel’s aggression in the six-day war. Moscow ... -
1986 Labour expels Militant Hatton
Derek Hatton, the controversial deputy leader of Liverpool Council, has been thrown out of the Labour Party for belonging to the left-wing Militant faction. ... -
1981 Israel bombs Baghdad nuclear reactor
The Israelis have bombed a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, saying they believed it was designed to make nuclear weapons to destroy ... -
1975 UK embraces Europe in referendum
British voters have backed the UK’s continued membership of the European Economic Community by a large majority in the country’s first nationwide referendum. Just ... -
1967 Israel launches attack on Egypt
Israeli forces have launched a pre-emptive attack on Egypt and destroyed nearly 400 Egypt-based military aircraft. Fighting broke out on the Israel-Egypt border but ... -
1991 UK army spending to be cut
Britain is to reduce the amount it spends on the army by more than a quarter over the next five years, Defence Secretary Tom ... -
1962: 130 die in Paris air crash
A chartered Air France Boeing 707 headed for Atlanta, Georgia, has crashed on take-off at Orly Airport in Paris, killing 130 people on board. ... -
1998 Ginger leaves the Spice Girls
Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, has left the chart-topping Spice Girls band. The announcement follows days of increasingly feverish speculation, after Geri – the ... -
2001 French ex-minister jailed over sleaze
Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas has been jailed for six months in the country’s biggest sleaze scandal in recent history. The 78-year-old judge ... -
1968 Manchester Utd win European Cup
Manchester United have become the first English club to win the European Cup beating Portuguese side Benfica by four goals to one. Ten years ... -
1951 Glasgow powers up for the Festival
Her Royal Highness, Princess Elizabeth, has formally opened the Exhibition of Industrial Power in Glasgow, the latest show in the Festival of Britain. The ... -
1964 Light goes out in India as Nehru dies
Jawaharlal Nehru, founder of modern India and its current prime minister, has died suddenly at the age of 74. He was taken ill in ... -
1975 Journalists leave fallen Saigon
A group of 80 reporters and cameramen – including nine Britons – have been allowed to fly out of Saigon to Vientiane in Laos. ... -
1977 Dutch children held hostage
More than 100 children and six teachers have been taken hostage in a primary school in northern Holland. The Dutch Prime Minister, Joop den ... -
1972: President Nixon arrives in Moscow
America’s President Richard Nixon has arrived in Moscow for talks with Soviet leaders. He was given a modest welcome as he stepped off the ... -
1991 Bomb kills India’s former leader Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi, the 46-year-old former Indian prime minister, has been assassinated. He was campaigning for the Congress Party on the second day of voting ... -
1965 British police to be issued with tear gas
Britain’s police are to be armed with tear gas guns and grenades to be used against armed criminals or dangerous individuals. The Home Secretary, ... -
1978 Charlie Chaplin’s stolen body found
The coffin containing the body of Charlie Chaplin – missing since his grave was robbed 11 weeks ago – has been found. It was ... -
1986 Soviets launch space station Mir
The Soviets have opened a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world’s biggest space station, Mir. The successful launch of ... -
1955 Communist states sign Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies have signed a security pact in the Polish capital, Warsaw, after a three-day conference. Announcements in ... -
1981 Thousands see Pope shot in Rome
The Pope has been shot four times as he blessed the crowds in St Peter’s Square in Rome. Surgeons have performed a five-hour operation ... -
1994 Mandela becomes SA’s first black president
Nelson Mandela has become South Africa’s first black president after more than three centuries of white rule. Mr Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party ... -
1972 Israeli commandos storm hijacked jet
Twelve Israeli soldiers disguised as maintenance staff have stormed a hijacked Sabena Boeing at Lod airport in Tel Aviv and released the 100 people ...
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