Tag: This Day in History
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1974 Ford takes over as Nixon quits
Vice President Gerald Ford has been sworn in as the 38th president of the United States following Richard Nixon’s decision to stand down. The unprecedented transition ... -
1971 Sailor’s record ‘wrong way’ voyage
A British man has become the first to sail the world non-stop in the “wrong” direction – east to west – against the prevailing winds and ... -
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 hours of ... -
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. The Austrian-born ... -
1991 Superpowers to cut nuclear warheads
The United States and the Soviet Union have signed an historic agreement reducing their stockpiles of nuclear warheads by about a third. The Strategic Arms Reduction ... -
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. The couple ... -
1956 Egypt seizes Suez Canal
Egypt’s president, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, has announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company to provide funding for the construction of the Aswan High Dam. ... -
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 District General ... -
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 to a ... -
1995 British forces sent to Sarajevo
Britain has sent 1,200 troops to relieve the besieged Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. Bosnian Serbs have controlled access to Sarajevo for three years, killing dozens of people ... -
1996 ‘War criminal’ Karadzic resigns
The Bosnian Serb President, Radovan Karadzic, has agreed to resign and withdraw from political and public life. He was ordered to step down by the Yugolsav ... -
2003 Missing Iraq expert – body found
A body believed to be that of government scientist Dr David Kelly has been found in woodland not far from his Oxfordshire home. The discovery was ... -
1976 African countries boycott Olympics
The opening ceremony of the 21st Olympic Games in Montreal has been marred by the withdrawal of 25 African countries. They are all protesting at New ... -
1969 Apollo 11 takes off for the Moon
The Apollo 11 space rocket has taken off successfully from Cape Kennedy, Florida, at the start of the first attempt to land a man on 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 (1400 GMT) ... -
1990 Yeltsin resignation splits Soviet Communists
The populist politician and president of the Russian parliament, Boris Yeltsin, has resigned from the Soviet Communist Party. The resignation has also led to a declaration ... -
2000 Britain pioneers HIV vaccine
The World Aids Conference in South Africa has announced trials for a new HIV vaccine will begin in Britain. Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris will be ... -
1943 Western Allies invade Sicily
The armed forces of Britain, the United States and Canada have landed on the Mediterranean island of Sicily. It is the first major landing of British ... -
2001 Scientists discover why we are here
A Californian University has thrown more light on why the Big Bang works after nearly 40 years of world-wide research. Most scientists accept that the universe ... -
2003 Conjoined twins die in separation op
Conjoined Iranian twins who volunteered to go ahead with a major operation to separate them have both died during surgery. Laleh and Ladan Bijani suffered a ... -
1995 Major wins Conservative leadership
The Prime Minister, John Major, has won his battle to remain leader of the Conservative Party. Mr Major received backing from 218 of the party’s MPs ... -
1988 US warship shoots down Iranian airliner
An American naval warship patrolling in the Persian Gulf has shot down an Iranian passenger jet after apparently mistaking it for an F-14 fighter. All those ... -
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 over Government ... -
2004 US transfers power back to Iraq
The United States has handed power back to the Iraqi people at a low-key ceremony in Baghdad. US administrator Paul Bremer transferred sovereignty to an Iraqi ... -
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 that the ... -
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 of 120,000 ... -
1950 UN condemns North Korean invasion
North Korea has invaded South Korea at several points along the two countries’ joint border. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has denounced North Korea’s actions ... -
1983 US astronaut Sally Ride returns
America’s first woman in space has returned safely to Earth in the Challenger space shuttle after a successful six-day flight. Sally Ride, aged 32, captured the ... -
1945 US troops take Okinawa
The Japanese island of Okinawa has finally fallen to the Americans after a long and bloody battle. The island, situated 340 miles (550km) south of the ... -
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 of deposed ... -
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 Mir comes ... -
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 the start ... -
1980 Government announces missile sites
The locations for the first US nuclear cruise missiles to be stored on British soil have been revealed by the government. Secretary of State for Defence ... -
1967 Moscow calls for UN action against Israel
The United Nations Security Council has rejected Soviet demands for an immediate vote on a resolution condemning Israel’s aggression in the six-day war. Moscow – which ... -
1986 Labour expels Militant Hatton
Derek Hatton, the controversial deputy leader of Liverpool Council, has been thrown out of the Labour Party for belonging to the left-wing Militant faction. Mr Hatton, ...
