This Day In History
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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 Senate condemns McCarthy
The United States Senate has censured Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy for conduct unbecoming to a senator. The vote was 67 to 22, with all ... -
1955 Black woman challenges race law
A black woman has been arrested by police in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white ... -
1994 Norway votes ‘no’ to Europe
Norway has voted to reject membership of the European Union in a referendum, for the second time in its history. With 92% of the ... -
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 ... -
1973 Army deposes ‘hated’ Greek president
The Greek Government has been toppled by the country’s armed forces after weeks of unrest. There appears to have been little or no resistance ... -
1963 Kennedy ‘assassin’ murdered
The man accused of assassinating the US President, John F Kennedy, has himself been shot dead in a Dallas police station. Lee Harvey Oswald, ... -
1979 Mob destroys US embassy in Pakistan
A mob in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, has burned the US Embassy to the ground, killing a US marine. The five-hour siege began as ... -
1951 British families leave Egypt’s Canal Zone
More than 1,000 families of British servicemen have begun moving out of the Suez Canal Zone town of Ismailia. The move was ordered yesterday ... -
1977 Egyptian leader’s Israel trip makes history
The president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, has begun his trip to Israel – the first Arab leader ever to visit the Jewish state. President ... -
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 ... -
1976 Bank robbers jailed for 100 years
Seven men who took part in an £8m bank robbery have received jail terms totalling nearly 100 years. The raid at the Bank of ... -
2000 Fuel protesters rally for tax cut
Convoys of lorries and tractors have converged on the capitals of England and Scotland to mark the 60-day deadline for government action to cut ... -
1979 Times returns after year-long dispute
The Times newspaper has been published for the first time in nearly a year. The paper’s disappearance from news stands followed a dispute between ... -
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 ... -
1995 Nigeria hangs human rights activists
The writer and human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, has been executed in Nigeria despite worldwide pleas for clemency. The country’s military rulers ordered the ... -
1956 Eisenhower re-elected with record vote
General Dwight D Eisenhower has been returned to the White House with the biggest Republican win since Abraham Lincoln’s in 1860. President Eisenhower won ... -
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 ... -
1991 Publisher Robert Maxwell dies at sea
The body of the millionaire newspaper publisher, Robert Maxwell, has been found in the sea off the coast of Tenerife. Mr Maxwell’s body was ... -
1995 Israeli PM shot dead
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been assassinated. Mr Rabin was shot three times at close range in the stomach and chest by an ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
1978 Gunman runs amok in West Midlands
Four people have been killed and four others seriously wounded after a gunman opened fire at two separate locations in the Midlands. The attacks ... -
2003 End of an era for Concorde
The legendary supersonic aircraft, Concorde, has landed at the end of its last commercial passenger flight, amid emotional scenes at Heathrow airport. The final ... -
1956 Hungarians rise up against Soviet rule
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Hungary to demand an end to Soviet rule. There are believed to have ... -
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 ... -
1980 Pope welcomes Queen to the Vatican
The Queen has made history after becoming the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican. Pope welcomed Her Majesty and ... -
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 ... -
1969 Millions march in US Vietnam Moratorium
Americans have taken part in peace initiatives across the United States to protest against the continuing war in Vietnam. The Peace Moratorium is believed ... -
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 Bolivian plane crashes in Santa Cruz
A chartered cargo plane has killed at least 100 people after it smashed into a busy street in Santa Cruz, a city in the ...
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