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1962 Liberals seize Orpington
The Liberals have seized Orpington from the government in their first by-election victory for four years. Eric Lubbock won the seat with a majority ... -
1964 Jack Ruby sentenced to death
Jack Ruby has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John ... -
1996 Massacre in Dunblane school gym
A lone gunman has gone on a shooting spree at a school in Dunblane, Scotland, killing 16 children and their teacher. The killer sprayed ... -
1990 Observer ‘spy’ sentenced to die
A court in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has imposed the death sentence on The Observer journalist Farzad Bazoft. He has been convicted of spying ... -
1967 Stalin’s daughter defects to the West
The daughter of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin has requested political asylum at the United States Embassy in India. The American Mutual Radio network ... -
1950 Gas turbine ca gets road test
Car manufacturers Rover have unveiled the first car powered with a gas turbine engine. JET1, a two-seater model powered by the same kind of ... -
1969 Israel elects first female leader
Golda Meir, the “grand old woman of Israeli politics”, is to become the first female prime minister of Israel. The 70-year-old’s candidature was officially ... -
1987 Hundreds trapped as car ferry capsizes
Forty-nine people have been confirmed dead – and dozens are missing – after a car ferry capsized just outside the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. ... -
1966 BBC tunes in to colour
The BBC has announced plans to begin broadcasting television programmes in colour from next year. Britain will be the first country in Europe to ... -
1969 Concorde flies for the first time
The supersonic airliner, Concorde, has made a “faultless” maiden flight. The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just ... -
1966 Britain to go decimal in 1971
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, James Callaghan, has confirmed the “historic and momentous” decision to change over to decimal coinage. It was just one ... -
1986 Swedish prime minister assassinated
The Swedish prime minister has died after being shot in a street ambush in central Stockholm. His wife was wounded. Olof and Lisbeth Palme ... -
1981 Prince Charles and Lady Di to marry
The Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer have ended months of speculation with the announcement they are to be married. At 1100GMT ... -
1972 Hijackers surrender and free Lufthansa crew
A group of Palestinian hijackers who took over a Lufthansa jet in the skies over India two days ago has released the crew and ... -
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 ... -
1992 Cannibal killer jailed for life
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in Wisconsin for murdering and dismembering 15 young men and ... -
2005 Kyoto Protocol comes into force
The Kyoto accord, which aims to curb the air pollution blamed for global warming, has come into force seven years after it was agreed. ... -
1989 Soviet troops pull out of Afghanistan
Soviet troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, nine years after they swept into the country. A convoy of Soviet armoured vehicles travelled the 260-mile (418km) ... -
1989 Ayatollah sentences author to death
Iranian Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini has issued a death threat against British author Salman Rushdie and his publishers over the book Satanic Verses. Scotland ... -
1975 Miners set for 35 per cent pay rises
British mineworkers’ leaders have agreed to accept the coal board’s latest pay offer of up to 35%. A settlement was reached when the coal ... -
1962 Russia frees US spy plane pilot
American spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers has been freed from prison in the Soviet Union in exchange for a Russian spy jailed in ... -
1950 McCarthy launches anti-red crusade
United States Senator Joe McCarthy has accused more than 200 staff in the State Department of being members of the Communist Party. He made ... -
1952 New Queen proclaimed for UK
Princess Elizabeth has formally proclaimed herself Queen and Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith. Lords of the Council – numbering 150 ... -
1964 Beatlemania arrives in the US
The four members of the British hit band, the Beatles, have arrived in New York at the start of their first tour of the ... -
1952 King George VI dies in his sleep
His Majesty, King George VI, has died peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham House. The official announcement from Sandringham, given at 1045 GMT, said ... -
1959 Buddy Holly killed in air crash
Three young rock ‘n’ roll stars have been killed in a plane crash in the United States. Buddy Holly, 22, Jiles P Richardson – ... -
1990 De Klerk dismantles apartheid in South Africa
The President of South Africa has lifted the 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress. In a televised speech at the ... -
2003 Columbia shuttle disintegrates killing seven
The US space shuttle Columbia has broken up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board. This is the first ... -
1983 British drivers ordered to belt up
Drivers and front seat passengers must wear seatbelts under a new law which came into force at midnight. The Department of Transport says 30,000 ... -
1965 Last farewell to Churchill
Thousands of people have paid their last respects to Britain’s greatest wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill who was buried today after a full state ... -
1945 Auschwitz death camp liberated
The Red Army has liberated the Nazis’ biggest concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland. According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Polish people, ... -
1961 John F Kennedy sworn in as US president
The Democrat John F Kennedy has been sworn in as the youngest ever elected president of the United States. The 43-year-old Roman Catholic was ... -
1966 Indira Gandhi takes charge in India
Indira Gandhi, only daughter of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is to become the country’s next leader. She was chosen at the end ...
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