Tag: This Day in History
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1993 Angolans die in battle for Huambo
More than 350 people have died in a battle between Unita rebels and Angolan government forces in the city of Huambo, according to Angolan army reports. ... -
1953 Soviet leader ‘on brink of death’
Rumours are circulating in Moscow that Joseph Stalin, the long-time leader of the Soviet Union, is near death. The first official news of Mr Stalin’s illness ... -
1954 US tests hydrogen bomb in Bikini
The US has produced the biggest ever man-made explosion so far in the Pacific archipelago of Bikini, part of the Marshall Islands. It is believed the ... -
1956 Hopes for Mid East peace mission
The British Foreign Secretary, John Selwyn Lloyd, left London this morning for a tour of the Middle East, Pakistan and India. Before he left, he held ... -
2000 Nuclear chief quits over safety scandal
British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has confirmed its chief executive, John Taylor, has resigned over the safety scandal that has attracted severe criticism from watchdogs. A damning ... -
1953 Spelling bill passes second reading
A proposal to simplify English spelling has cleared its second hurdle in parliament. After a second debate MPs in the House of Commons voted by 65 ... -
1984 US troops withdraw from Beirut
American forces have withdrawn almost all of their troops from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. About 1,000 US Marines left the coast beside the international airport as ... -
1981 Rebel army seizes control in Spain
Spain is in a state of political confusion after an attempted right-wing coup. This evening about 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil Guard stormed ... -
1986 Filipino coup leaders tell Marcos to go
Two senior members of the Philippines government have taken refuge in the defence ministry building in the capital, Manila, after denouncing President Ferdinand Marcos. Yesterday, Defence ... -
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 between the ... -
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 ... -
1997 China’s reformist Deng Xiaoping dies
China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 92. He had been suffering from failing health for several years and was last seen ... -
1959 Castro sworn in as Cuban PM
Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country’s youngest ever premier. At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister 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 the startling ... -
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 – representatives ... -
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 United States. ... -
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 the King ... -
1994 Market massacre in Sarajevo
A mortar bomb has exploded in the main market square in Sarajevo killing 68 and wounding 200 people. It is the worst single atrocity in the ... -
1979 Sid Vicious dies from drugs overdose
Sex Pistols’ bass player Sid Vicious has died of a heroin overdose in New York. His mother, Anne Beverley, found him dead in bed with ... -
1979 Exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran
Religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini has made a triumphant return to Iran after 14 years in exile. Up to five million people lined the streets of the ... -
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 people a ... -
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 funeral. Silent ... -
1976 Explosions rock London’s West End
A series of bombs have exploded in the West End of London during the night – one person, believed to be a taxi driver, has been ... -
1998 Clinton denies affair with intern
President Clinton has strongly denied allegations that he had an affair with a 24-year-old former White House aide. He also rejected accusations that he asked her ... -
2004 Nasa rover looks for water on Mars
The second of two Nasa rovers sent to explore Mars has landed on the surface of the planet, where it will look for signs of water. ... -
1973 Nixon announces Vietnam peace deal
The US president, Richard Nixon, has appeared on national television to announce “peace with honour” in Vietnam. Statements issued simultaneously in Washington and Hanoi confirmed the ... -
1990 Gorbachev explains crackdown in Azerbaijan
President Mikhail Gorbachev has made a statement on Soviet television explaining the Soviet crackdown on civil unrest in the republic of Azerbaijan. Two days ago Soviet ... -
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 of a ... -
1972 Rhodesia’s former leader arrested
Two leading white campaigners for black majority rule in Rhodesia have been arrested. The former Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, Garfield Todd, and his daughter, Judith, ... -
1983 BBC wakes up to morning TV
People have been switching on their televisions a little earlier than usual to catch Britain’s first breakfast news programme. The BBC’s new Breakfast Time programme went ... -
1979 Shah of Iran flees into exile
The Shah of Iran has fled the country following months of increasingly violent protests against his regime. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi and his wife, Empress Farah, ... -
1973 Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixon has ordered a halt to American bombing in North Vietnam following peace talks in Paris. The decision comes after Dr Henry Kissinger, the president’s ... -
1991 US Congress votes for war in Iraq
The United States Congress has voted to authorise the use of military force against Iraq to end its occupation of neighbouring Kuwait. The vote seals the ... -
1973 First Open University degrees awarded
The first graduates from the Open University (OU) have been awarded their degrees after two years studying from home. Out of the 1,000 students who sat ... -
1996 King of Jordan in historic Tel Aviv visit
King Hussein of Jordan has made his first public visit to Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, in the latest indication of the new warmth between the ...
