This Day In History
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1978 First ‘test tube baby’ born
The birth of the world’s first “test tube baby” has been announced in Manchester. Louise Brown was born shortly before midnight in Oldham and ... -
1974 Nixon ‘must hand over Watergate tapes’
The United States Supreme Court has ordered President Nixon to surrender tape recordings of White House conversations about the Watergate affair. Giving the judgement ... -
1974 Greek military rule gives in to democracy
The military government in Greece has collapsed and the former prime minister Constantine Karamanlis has been invited to return. Huge crowds gathered to greet ... -
1977 Deng Xiaoping back in power
The disgraced deputy Prime Minister of China, Deng Xiaoping, is to return to Chinese Government. The Chinese Communist Party conference has restored him to ... -
1990 English teenagers held in Thailand over drugs
Two teenage girls from the Midlands have been arrested for drug smuggling in Thailand. Patricia Cahill, 17, and Karen Smith, 18, were stopped by ... -
1993 Secret Service goes public
Britain’s internal security service, MI5, has held the first photocall in its 84-year history. Stella Rimington, 56, became the first Director General of the ... -
1997 Versace murdered on his doorstep
Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace has been shot dead on the steps of his Miami mansion. The incident happened shortly before 0900 local time ... -
1971 Suicide note reveals murder confession
Cheshire Police have called off the hunt for the murderer of three French tourists after another body was found in Staffordshire. The body of ... -
1977 Gay paper guilty of blasphemy
The Gay News and its editor Denis Lemon have been found guilty of blasphemous libel in the first case of its kind for more ... -
2000 UK tidal wave of web users
One in four British homes is now using the internet according to figures released by the government. A new survey by the Office for ... -
1982 Queen fends off bedroom intruder
A man has broken into Buckingham Palace and spent ten minutes talking to the Queen in her bedroom. At around 0715 BST Michael Fagan, ... -
2000 New Harry Potter most magical yet
The latest story about boy wizard Harry Potter has broken all publishing records. The fourth instalment of JK Rowling’s series has been released simultaneously ... -
2005 Bomb attacks on London
A series of bomb attacks on London’s transport network has killed more than 30 people and injured about 700 others. Three explosions on the ... -
1976 Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages
Israeli commandos have rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport in Uganda. At about 0100 local time ... -
1987 Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie gets life
The former Gestapo chief in Lyon, Klaus Barbie, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. Nine jurors and three judges found ... -
1964 President Johnson signs Civil Rights Bill
The Civil Rights Bill – one of the most important piece of legislation in American history – has become law. US President Lyndon B ... -
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 ... -
1971 Space mission ends in tragedy
Three Russian cosmonauts have been found dead in their space capsule after it made what looked like a perfect landing in Kazakhstan. Lieutenant-Colonel Georgi ... -
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 ... -
1970 New peace plan for Middle East
The United States has launched its latest plan to bring peace to the Middle East. US Secretary of State William Rogers announced his initiative ... -
1974 Labour rift over nuclear test
The Labour Government has admitted Britain exploded a nuclear device in the United States a few weeks ago. It is thought the underground trial ... -
1985 Air India jet crashes killing 329
A passenger jet has disintegrated in mid-air off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board. The Air India flight was only ... -
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 ... -
1982 ‘God’s banker’ found hanged
The body of a top Italian banker has been found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in London. Known as God’s banker for his links with ... -
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 ... -
1961 Russian dancer in freedom dash
Principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet, Rudolf Nureyev, has broken free from Russian embassy guards at a Paris airport and requested asylum in France. ... -
1992 Controversial Diana book published
A controversial new book about the Princess of Wales claims she attempted suicide on several occasions over the last decade, and portrays her as ... -
1981 Queen shot at by youth
A 17-year-old man has been arrested for shooting a replica gun at the Queen as she rode past crowds on horseback. Marcus Serjeant pointed ... -
1964 Nelson Mandela jailed for life
The leader of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, has been jailed for life for sabotage. Seven other defendants, including the former ... -
1987 Thatcher wins record third term
Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been celebrating her third general election win after beating Labour by 376 to 229 seats. The victory makes ... -
1999 Nato calls off air war on Kosovo
Nato has called off its 11-week air war against Kosovo following the beginning of the withdrawal of Serb troops. Secretary General Javier Solana announced ... -
1970 King Hussein escapes gunman’s bullet
King Hussein of Jordan has survived an assassination attempt after gunmen opened fire on his motorcade as it was driving near his summer palace. ... -
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 ... -
1989 Election boost for Solidarity
Solidarity, Poland’s anti-communist party, looks set to claim a remarkable success in the country’s elections, with initial results suggesting it has done much better ...
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