Tag: This Day in History
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1963 Soviets launch first woman into space
A former textile worker from the Soviet Union has become the first woman in space. Lieutenant Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was the fifth Russian cosmonaut to go ... -
2000 British marines leave Sierra Leone
The major contingent of the British military task force sent to help restore order in the West African state of Sierra Leone has left the country. ... -
1940 German troops enter Paris
German troops marched into Paris in the early hours of this morning as French and allied forces retreated. The enemy met no resistance as it entered ... -
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 a pistol ... -
1981 Second IRA protester dies in jail
A second IRA hunger striker, 25-year-old Francis Hughes, has starved to death in the Maze Prison near Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His death comes ... -
1982 Fifty die in Argentine air attack
Up to 50 British servicemen have died in an Argentine air attack on two supply ships in the Falklands. Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram were anchored ... -
1981 Israel bombs Baghdad nuclear reactor
The Israelis have bombed a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, saying they believed it was designed to make nuclear weapons to destroy Israel. It ... -
1944 D-Day marks start of Europe invasion
Thousands of Allied troops have begun landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France at the start of a major offensive against the Germans. Thousands ... -
1980 SAS rescue ends Iran embassy siege
The siege of the Iranian embassy in London has ended after a dramatic raid by SAS commandos. Five Iranian gunmen were killed and one was arrested. ... -
1953 Queen Elizabeth takes coronation oath
Queen Elizabeth II has been crowned at a coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London. In front of more than 8,000 guests, including prime ministers and ... -
1970 British Prime Minister hit by flying egg
The Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, has been hit in the face with an egg thrown by a Young Conservative demonstrator. The raw egg, thrown at close ... -
1998 Ginger leaves the Spice Girls
Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, has left the chart-topping Spice Girls band. The announcement follows days of increasingly feverish speculation, after Geri – the driving force ... -
1981 Bangladeshi president assassinated
The president of Bangladesh, Zia Rahman, has been assassinated in the south-eastern city of Chittagong. President Zia is believed to have died at 0430 local time ... -
1998 Veterans reject Japanese ‘sorrow’
Emperor Akihito of Japan has spoken of his “deep sorrow and pain” over the suffering inflicted by his country during World War II, but did not ... -
2001 Israel wedding party tragedy
At least 20 people have been killed and hundreds have been injured at a wedding party in Jerusalem after the dance floor collapsed. Guests were left ... -
1958 Historic Sheerness docks to close
The government has announced the closure of one of the oldest naval dockyards in the UK. All 2,500 jobs at Sheerness Docks on the Isle of ... -
1969 Apollo 10 gets bird’s eye view of Moon
Two US astronauts aboard Apollo 10 are on their way back to the safety of their mother ship after their lunar module came to within eight ... -
1997 Labour to stub out tobacco sponsorship
The sponsorship of sports events by tobacco firms is to be outlawed, according to Labour’s Health Secretary, Frank Dobson. The announcement, made in a speech to ... -
1950 US and Europe agree Nato aims
Almost exactly a year after signing the North Atlantic Treaty, 12 nations have agreed a permanent organisation for the defence of the United States and Europe. ... -
1943 RAF raid smashes German dams
An audacious RAF bombing raid into the industrial heartland of Germany last night has wrecked three dams serving the Ruhr valley. The attack disrupted water and ... -
2001 Prescott punches protester
The Labour Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, has punched a protester who threw an egg at him during a visit to Rhyl in north Wales. The ... -
1957 Britain drops its first H-bomb
Britain has exploded its first hydrogen bomb as part of a series of tests in the Pacific, the Ministry of Supply has announced. Details of the ... -
1967 Stansted to become London’s third airport
The British Government has given the green light to plans to convert Stansted into London’s third airport. President of the Board of Trade Douglas Jay told ... -
1972 Israeli commandos storm hijacked jet
Twelve Israeli soldiers disguised as maintenance staff have stormed a hijacked Sabena Boeing at Lod airport in Tel Aviv and released the 100 people on board. ... -
1984 Moscow pulls out of US Olympics
Twelve weeks before the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the USSR has announced it is boycotting them. It is expected most of the ... -
1980 SAS rescue ends Iran embassy siege
The siege of the Iranian embassy in London has ended after a dramatic raid by SAS commandos. Five Iranian gunmen were killed and one was arrested. ... -
1994 Race ace Senna killed in car crash
The Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna has been killed in a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, near Bologna in Italy. He was ... -
2001 First space tourist blasts off
A billionaire businessman from California has become the first paying passenger to go to outer space. Dennis Tito, aged 60, set off from Kazakhstan at 1338 ... -
1984 Libyan embassy siege ends
The siege of the Libyan Embassy in St James’s Square in London is over. In the end, the diplomats, holed up in the building for 11 ... -
1974 Rebels seize control of Portugal
Army rebels are in control of Portugal tonight after an almost bloodless dawn coup ended nearly 50 years of dictatorship. Shortly after midnight, tanks rolled into ... -
1993 IRA bomb devastates City of London
A massive bomb has ripped through the heart of the City of London, killing one and injuring more than 40. The explosion shook buildings and shattered ... -
1955 Fleet Street papers back after strike
National newspapers have been published for the first time in nearly a month following the end of the maintenance workers’ strike. The stoppage was called off ... -
1953 UN and Korea begin prisoner exchange
The Allies and Korea have exchanged sick and wounded prisoners of war at Panmunjon, just a mile away from continued fighting at the north-south border. One ... -
1955 Albert Einstein dies
Albert Einstein has died in hospital in Princeton, New Jersey, aged 76. The eminent scientist and originator of the theory of relativity was admitted to hospital ... -
1999 Dozens hurt in London bomb blast
An explosion outside a busy supermarket in Brixton, south London, has injured at least 45 people. At least four of the casualties – including a one-year-old ...
