Tag: This Day in History
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1967 Egypt and Jordan unite against Israel
The King of Jordan and President Abdel Nasser of Egypt have signed a joint defence agreement. The news came as a surprise to Egyptians and foreigners ... -
1994 Dissident writer Solzhenitsyn returns
Alexander Solzhenitsyn has flown back to his native Russia after 20 years of exile in the United States. His plane touched down in the far eastern ... -
1950 UK drivers cheer end of fuel rations
Long queues have appeared at garages this evening and motorists have torn their ration books into confetti after the government announced an end to petrol rationing. ... -
1961 Kennedy pledges man on Moon
President John F Kennedy has called for millions of dollars to fund a space programme to get the first man on the Moon by 1970. In ... -
1989 Yorkshire Ripper’s wife wins damages
A jury at the High Court in London has awarded Ł600,000 damages to Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, against the satirical magazine ... -
1998 Leaders welcome ‘yes’ vote for N Ireland
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has welcomed the resounding “yes” vote in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement on Northern Ireland, calling it “a day ... -
1973 Royal Navy moves to protect trawlers
Britain has sent in Royal Navy ships to protect trawlers in the disputed Icelandic 50-mile zone as the so-called “cod war” escalates. Three frigates – the ... -
2004 Angry dads hit Blair with purple flour
Protesters have hurled condoms full of purple flour at British Prime Minister Tony Blair as he addressed MPs in the House of Commons, prompting an urgent ... -
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. ... -
1978: Charlie Chaplin’s stolen body found
The coffin containing the body of Charlie Chaplin – missing since his grave was robbed 11 weeks ago – has been found. It was dug up ... -
1974 Dozens die as Israel retaliates for Ma’alot
Israeli planes have bombed seven Palestinian refugee camps and villages in southern Lebanon killing at least 27 people and leaving 138 injured. The attack was in ... -
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 ... -
1971 Britain’s oldest tabloid close
The Daily Sketch newspaper which was founded in 1909 has been published for the last time. Enclosed in today’s souvenir issue was a copy of its ... -
1940 Churchill takes helm as Germans advance
German forces have invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg by air and land. The invasion began at dawn with large numbers of aeroplanes attacking the main aerodromes ... -
1994 President and Queen open Chunnel
The Queen and France’s President Francois Mitterrand have formally opened the Channel Tunnel during two elaborate ceremonies in France and Britain. After travelling through the tunnel, ... -
1981 Bobby Sands dies in prison
Hunger striker Bobby Sands has died in prison 66 days after first refusing to eat. The 27-year-old republican spent the last days of his life on ... -
1982 Argentines destroy HMS Sheffield
The British ship HMS Sheffield has been hit by an Argentine missile fired from a fighter bomber. It is not clear how many of the 268 ... -
1990 Latvia to declare independence
Members of the new parliament of the Soviet republic of Latvia have met to discuss independence from Moscow. Leaders of the Latvian Popular Front are confident ... -
1978 Afghan coup rebels claim victory
The new rulers of Afghanistan have announced that almost the whole of the leadership of the ousted regime is dead. Two days ago, they declared President ... -
1986 Soviets admit nuclear accident
The Soviet Union has acknowledged there has been an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The report, from the official news agency, Tass, ... -
1945 Russians and Americans link at Elbe
Russian and American troops have joined hands at the River Elbe in Germany, bringing the end of the war a step closer. Statements have been released ... -
1984: Reagan arrives in China
The US President, Ronald Reagan, has landed in China at the start of a six-day visit – the first by an American president since Nixon in ... -
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 ... -
1980 Deposed ministers executed in Liberia
Thirteen leading officials of the ousted government in Liberia have been publicly executed on the orders of the new military regime. The dead men included several ... -
1975 Vietnam’s President Thieu resigns
The President of South Vietnam has been forced to resign accusing the United States of betrayal. In a TV and radio address, outgoing President Nguyen Van ... -
1993 Waco cult siege ends with inferno
At least 70 people are feared to have died in a fire at the besieged headquarters of the Branch Davidian sect near Waco, Texas. The fate ... -
1988 USSR pledges to leave Afghanistan
The Soviet Union has signed an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. The pact, drawn up in negotiations between the United States, the USSR, ... -
1964 Poitier breaks new ground with Oscar win
The acting profession’s top award has gone to a black actor for the first time. Sidney Poitier won the best actor Oscar for his role in ... -
1961 Soviets win space race
The Soviet Union has beaten the USA in the race to get the first man into space. At just after 0700BST, Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin was ... -
1961 Nazi war crimes trial begins
The trial has begun in Israel of the man accused of helping Hitler in his plan to exterminate the Jews. Adolf Eichmann faces 15 charges, including ... -
1973 Art master Picasso dies
The artist Pablo Picasso has died of a heart attack at his chateau near Cannes on the French Riviera. He suffered the fatal seizure at approximately ... -
1986 Sinclair sells computer business
Home-computing pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair has sold the marketing and merchandising rights to his inventions for £5m to computing rival Amstrad. The sale means the withdrawal ... -
1988 Hijackers free 25 hostages
Hijackers who took control of a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet have released 24 women passengers and one man with a heart condition. They were freed after ... -
1968 Martin Luther King shot dead
The American black civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King, has been assassinated. Dr King was shot dead in the southern US city of Memphis, Tennessee, ... -
1957 BBC fools the nation
The BBC has received a mixed reaction to a spoof documentary broadcast this evening about spaghetti crops in Switzerland. The hoax Panorama programme, narrated by distinguished ...
