This Day In History
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1987 Fiji one step closer to a republic
The Queen has accepted the resignation of the Governor-General of Fiji at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Vancouver. Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia ... -
1977 Steve Biko dies in custody
The leader of the black consciousness movement in South Africa, Steve Biko, has died in police custody. The 30-year-old’s death was confirmed by the ... -
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 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 ... -
1951 Designers prepare to dazzle Venice
British fashion designers have revealed the collection they plan to send to Venice later this week as part of the city’s Biennale arts festival. ... -
1997 Diana driver was ‘drunk and speeding’
The driver of the car in which Princess Diana was fatally injured had criminal levels of alcohol in his blood and may have been ... -
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 ... -
1972 Prince William killed in plane crash
Prince William of Gloucester has been killed after his light aircraft crashed and burst into flames. The prince was taking part in an air ... -
1979 IRA bomb kills Lord Mountbatten
The Queen’s cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, has been killed by a bomb blast on his boat in Ireland. One of the earl’s twin grandsons, ... -
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 ... -
1967 ‘American Hitler’ shot dead
The leader of the American Nazi party, George Lincoln Rockwell, has been shot and killed by a sniper at a shopping centre in Arlington, ... -
1978 Kenya’s founding father dies
Kenya’s president, Jomo Kenyatta, has died at his home in Mombasa. An official announcement on Voice of Kenya radio said Mr Kenyatta died peacefully ... -
1968 Russia brings winter to ‘Prague Spring’
Dozens of people have been killed in a massive military clampdown in Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact countries. Several members of the liberal Czechoslovak ... -
1992 Iraq jails ‘lost’ Briton
Iraq has sentenced a British man to seven years in jail for what it called “illegal entry” into the country. Paul Ride, a catering ... -
1991 Hardliners stage coup against Gorbachev
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has been overthrown after a coup by Communist hardliners. Mr Gorbachev is reported to be under house arrest at his ... -
1964 South Africa banned from Olympics
South Africa has been barred from taking part in the 18th Olympic Games in Tokyo over its refusal to condemn apartheid. The International Olympic ... -
1945 Allied nations celebrate VJ Day
Japan has surrendered to the Allies after almost six years of war. There is joy and celebration around the world and 15 August has ... -
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 ... -
1966 China announces Cultural Revolution
China has announced plans for a “new leap forward” after the first meeting in four years of the Communist Party’s Central Committee. The blueprint ... -
1964 Great Train Robber escapes from jail
A massive manhunt is underway across Britain after one of the so-called Great Train Robbers escaped from Winson Green Prison in Birmingham. Charlie Wilson, ... -
2000 Air rage pair jailed
Two men have been jailed for causing a “bar room brawl” on board a holiday jet bound for Jamaica. Patrick Connors was sentenced to ... -
1963 Train robbers make off with millions
Thieves have ambushed the Glasgow to Euston mail train and stolen thousands of pounds. Banks estimate they have lost over £2m in used, untraceable ... -
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 ... -
1945 US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima
The first atomic bomb has been dropped by a United States aircraft on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. President Harry S Truman, announcing the ... -
1962 Marilyn Monroe found dead
Screen icon Marilyn Monroe has been found dead in bed at her Los Angeles home. The 36-year-old actress’ body was discovered in the early ... -
1964 Three civil rights activists found dead
The bodies of three civil rights workers missing for six weeks have been found buried in a partially constructed dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Agents ... -
1976 Lauda fights for life after Grand Prix crash
Formula One racing driver Niki Lauda is in a critical condition in hospital after an horrific accident at the Nurburgring Grand Prix in Germany. ... -
1998 UK imposes total ban on landmines
The British Government has announced a total ban on the use of landmines. Parliament passed the Landmines Act last month – after public pressure ... -
1966 Football glory for England
England have won football’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1930. A crowd of 93,000 spectators – including the ... -
1981 Charles and Diana marry
Crowds of 600,000 people filled the streets of London to catch a glimpse of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on their wedding day. ... -
1976 Chinese earthquake kills hundreds of thousands
Hundreds of thousands of people are feared dead following an 8.3 magnitude earthquake in China. The quake has virtually destroyed the city of Tangshan, ...
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