Tag: This Day in History
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1990 IRA bombs Stock Exchange
An IRA bomb has blown a 10-foot hole in the London Stock Exchange. Nobody was injured in the blast, although police say there would have been ... -
1983 Flesh-eating dinosaur resurrected
A huge new dinosaur skeleton has been unveiled to the media at the Natural History Museum in London. Plumber and amateur fossil hunter Bill Walker, 55, ... -
1990 English teenagers held in Thailand over drugs
Two teenage girls from the Midlands have been arrested for drug smuggling in Thailand. Patricia Cahill, 17, and Karen Smith, 18, were stopped by customs officials ... -
1966 Euston staff ‘colour bar’ ended
A West Indian refused a job at Euston Station will now be employed there after managers overturned a ban on black workers. Two months ago Asquith ... -
1991 UK forces withdraw from Kurdish haven
British troops protecting the Kurdish population in Iraq have begun to pull out of the region. They had been part of a western relief effort – ... -
1985 Live Aid makes millions for Africa
The Live Aid concert for the starving in Africa has raised triple the £10m expected. And as the London event draws to a close at Wembley ... -
1986 Orange Parade sparks riots
Dozens have been injured in the second consecutive night of violence in Portadown, County Armagh. Violence flared when Orangemen converged on the town yesterday evening after ... -
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 (pictured) will ... -
1965 Ronald Biggs escapes from jail
Ronald Biggs – a member of the gang who carried out the Great Train Robbery in 1963 – has escaped from Wandsworth prison. Biggs, 35, escaped ... -
2005 Bomb attacks on London
A series of bomb attacks on London’s transport network has killed more than 30 people and injured about 700 others. Three explosions on the Underground left ... -
1997 Mars buggy starts exploring Red Planet
Nasa scientists have freed a robot from the space probe Mars Pathfinder, allowing it to begin its exploration of the Red Planet at last. The rover, ... -
1991 International bank closed in fraud scandal
The Bank of England has closed down UK branches of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) over allegations of fraud. The bank’s 120,000 UK ... -
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 ... -
1971 Space mission ends in tragedy
Three Russian cosmonauts have been found dead in their space capsule after it made what looked like a perfect landing in Kazakhstan. Lieutenant-Colonel Georgi Dobrovolsky, Vladislav ... -
1995 US shuttle docks with Russian space station
American and Russian spacecraft have successfully docked in orbit for the first time in 20 years. The US shuttle Atlantis delivered a relief crew of two ... -
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 ... -
1991 Yugoslav troops move against Slovenia
Yugoslav tanks, troops and aircraft have swept into the small republic of Slovenia, 48 hours after it declared independence. Federal forces moved to seize control of ... -
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 ... -
1985 Air India jet crashes killing 329
A passenger jet has disintegrated in mid-air off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board. The Air India flight was only 45 minutes ... -
1941 Hitler invades the Soviet Union
German forces have invaded the Soviet Union. In a pre-dawn offensive, German troops pushed into the USSR from the south and west, with a third force ... -
1982 Princess Diana gives birth to boy
Diana, Princess of Wales, has given birth to a boy sixteen hours after checking in to St Mary’s Hospital, in London. The boy, who has been ... -
1984 O-Levels to be replaced by GCSEs
O-Level and CSE exams are to be abolished and replaced by a new examination for 16 year olds, in the biggest exam shake-up for over 10 ... -
1961 Russian dancer in freedom dash
Principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet, Rudolf Nureyev, has broken free from Russian embassy guards at a Paris airport and requested asylum in France. The 23-year-old ... -
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. ... -
1982 Ceasefire agreed in Falklands
A ceasefire between British and Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands has been agreed, the prime minister has announced. Margaret Thatcher made the statement to a ... -
1991 Yeltsin wins first Russian elections
Boris Yeltsin is celebrating victory as Russia’s first popularly-elected president. The 60-year-old reformer and leader of the group Democratic Russia has inflicted a heavy defeat on ... -
1986 Magee convicted of Brighton bombing
A man has been found guilty of planting the Brighton bomb which killed five people and nearly wiped out most of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet two years ... -
1975 First live broadcast of Parliament
The first live transmission from the House of Commons has been broadcast by BBC Radio and commercial stations. Commentary was provided by BBC political editor David ... -
1978 Woman takes world sailing record
Naomi James has broken the solo round-the-world sailing record by two days. Her 53 ft yacht Express Crusader crossed the finish line in Dartmouth at 0911 ... -
1942 Japanese beaten in Battle of Midway
The United States has routed the Japanese Navy in a major three-day battle over a remote US naval and air base at Midway Island in the ... -
1957 Noel Coward comes hom
Noel Coward has returned to Britain from the West Indies amid criticism that he is living abroad to avoid paying income tax. He arrived at Southampton ... -
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 ... -
1979 End of white rule in Rhodesia
Rhodesia has formally ended nearly 90 years of white minority rule and declared it will now be known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. In the absence of any official ... -
1957 Arthur Miller guilty of contempt
US playwright Arthur Miller has been convicted of contempt of Congress. The conviction relates to an investigation last year by the House of Representatives’ Un-American Activities ...
