This Day In History
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1969 Paul McCartney weds Linda Eastman
Paul McCartney has married Linda Eastman in a civil ceremony in London. Hundreds of people gathered outside the Marylebone Register Office to catch a ... -
1985 Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader
There is a new man in charge at the Kremlin – Mikhail Gorbachev has taken over following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. Chernenko, 73, ... -
1971 Post strike ends with pay deal
British postal workers have gone back to work today after seven weeks on strike. The 200,000 postmen and women voted by 14-1 yesterday in ... -
1975 Kidnapped heiress found strangled
The body of Lesley Whittle, the 17-year-old heiress kidnapped from her Shropshire home 52 days ago, has been found at the bottom of a ... -
1993 Angolans die in battle for Huambo
More than 350 people have died in a battle between Unita rebels and Angolan government forces in the city of Huambo, according to Angolan ... -
1953 Soviet leader ‘on brink of death’
Rumours are circulating in Moscow that Joseph Stalin, the long-time leader of the Soviet Union, is near death. The first official news of Mr ... -
1975 Comic genius Chaplin is knighted
Silent film legend Charlie Chaplin has become Sir Charles after a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The star of such films as The Kid and ... -
1954 US tests hydrogen bomb in Bikini
The US has produced the biggest ever man-made explosion so far in the Pacific archipelago of Bikini, part of the Marshall Islands. It is ... -
1956 Hopes for Mid East peace mission
The British Foreign Secretary, John Selwyn Lloyd, left London this morning for a tour of the Middle East, Pakistan and India. Before he left, ... -
2000 Nuclear chief quits over safety scandal
British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has confirmed its chief executive, John Taylor, has resigned over the safety scandal that has attracted severe criticism from watchdogs. ... -
1953 Spelling bill passes second reading
A proposal to simplify English spelling has cleared its second hurdle in parliament. After a second debate MPs in the House of Commons voted ... -
1984 US troops withdraw from Beirut
American forces have withdrawn almost all of their troops from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. About 1,000 US Marines left the coast beside the international ... -
1981 Rebel army seizes control in Spain
Spain is in a state of political confusion after an attempted right-wing coup. This evening about 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil ... -
1986 Filipino coup leaders tell Marcos to go
Two senior members of the Philippines government have taken refuge in the defence ministry building in the capital, Manila, after denouncing President Ferdinand Marcos. ... -
1972 Nixon makes historic visit to China
The American President Richard Nixon has arrived in China at the start of a week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations ... -
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 ... -
1997 China’s reformist Deng Xiaoping dies
China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 92. He had been suffering from failing health for several years and was ... -
1959 Castro sworn in as Cuban PM
Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country’s youngest ever premier. At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime ...
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