Tag: This Day in History
-
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 ... -
1972 Miners strike against government
Coal miners walked out at midnight in their first national strike for almost 50 years. Three months of negotiations with the National Coal Board ended in ... -
1989 Dozens die as plane crashes on motorway
A Boeing 737 airplane has crashed onto the M1 motorway near East Midlands airport, killing 46 people. Eighty have survived, of whom ten are seriously injured. ... -
1981 Man arrested for Ripper murders
A 35-year-old lorry driver from Bradford, suspected of carrying out 13 murders across West Yorkshire over the past five years, has appeared in court. Peter William ... -
1951 Communist forces to re-take Seoul
Chinese and North Korean troops are reported to be close to capturing the South Korean capital of Seoul for the second time since the war began ... -
1980 Afghan leader defends Soviet invasion
The new president of Afghanistan, Babrak Karmal, has made his first public appearance since the Soviet-backed coup last week. Speaking in Kabul, Karmal told foreign journalists ... -
2000 Freezing Britain grinds to a halt
A blanket of snow has descended on the country as Arctic conditions wreak havoc on roads, rail and air services. Sub-zero temperatures, as low as -13C ... -
2003 Britain gives go-ahead for ‘sky marshals’
Armed undercover “sky marshals” will be placed on some British passenger planes in the United States, the British Government has announced. Home Secretary David Blunkett and ... -
1958 Easy victory for de Gaulle
General Charles de Gaulle has been elected President of France with an overwhelming majority. At 1715 this afternoon President Rene Coty telephoned his congratulations to General ... -
1973 Spanish prime minister assassinated
The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, has been killed in a car bomb attack in Madrid. The 70-year-old, his bodyguard and a driver died ... -
1997 Dawn of Scottish parliament
A bill giving Scotland its own parliament for the first time in three centuries has been unveiled in Glasgow today. Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar revealed his ...
