Tag: This Day in History
-
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1986 Seven dead in space shuttle disaster
The American space shuttle, Challenger, has exploded killing all seven astronauts on board. The five men and two women – including the first teacher in space ... -
This day in history | 1990 Romanians call for government change
Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Romanian capital, Bucharest to protest against the interim government of Ion Iliescu. It ... -
This day in history | 1969 Prague riots over student martyr
Police wielding truncheons and firing tear gas from pressure canisters have broken up a march by hundreds of demonstrators in central Prague. The violence erupted as ... -
This day in history | 1971 Idi Amin ousts Uganda president
General Idi Amin has seized power from President Milton Obote, the man who led Uganda to independence in 1962. The general led a military coup while ... -
This day in history | 1965 Winston Churchill dies
Sir Winston Churchill has died at the age of 90 with his wife Lady Clementine Churchill and other members of the family at his bedside. He ... -
This day in history | 1950 Acclaimed author George Orwell dies
The writer, George Orwell, has died after a three-year battle against tuberculosis. Until the last, news had been positive and it was hoped Mr Orwell was ... -
This day in history | 1961 John F Kennedy sworn in as US president
The Democrat John F Kennedy has been sworn in as the youngest ever elected president of the United States. The 43-year-old Roman Catholic was inaugurated as ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1996 Green groups join bypass battle
Six major environmental organisations today added their support to the growing anti-bypass campaign in Newbury, Berkshire. Friends of the Earth, the Council for British Archaeology, Greenpeace ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1994 Duchess of Kent joins Catholic church
The Duchess of Kent has become the first member of the Royal Family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years. The duchess was received ... -
This day in history | 1976 Crime writer Agatha Christie dies
The most popular novelist in the world, Dame Agatha Christie, has died leaving rumours of a multi-million pound fortune and a final book waiting to be ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1985 Gas blast kills eight in Putney
Eight people have been killed in an explosion in a prestigious block of flats in Putney, south-west London. Dozens were also injured when the blast demolished ... -
This day in history | 1977: EMI fires Sex Pistols
The music publisher EMI has ended its contract with the Sex Pistols punk rock group because of their notorious behaviour in public. In a statement, the ... -
This day in history | 1952 Churchill renews ‘special relationship’
The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has arrived in the United States for an official visit, his first since re-election last October. He arrived in New ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1958 Castro’s rebels edge closer to capital
A vicious house-to-house battle between rebel guerrillas, led by Fidel Castro, and the Cuban army is raging around the town of Santa Clara, the capital of ... -
This day in history | 1974 ‘Drowned’ Stonehouse found alive
Former UK minister John Stonehouse has been found living under a false name in Australia after apparently faking his own death. He was detained under an ... -
This day in history | 1993 Anglo-Irish pact paves way for peace
The British and Irish prime ministers have signed The Joint Declaration of Peace which they hope will end 25 years of bombing and murder in Northern ... -
This day in history | 2001 Suicide attack on Indian parliament
A group of gunmen has broken through tight security to attack the parliament building in the Indian capital, New Delhi. At least 12 people have been ... -
This day in history | 1988 Death toll rises in Armenian earthquake
Up to 45,000 people have died and a further 500,000 are homeless after the devastating earthquake which ripped through Armenia, official figures revealed today. Rescue work ... -
This day in history | 1980 John Lennon shot dead
Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician’s New York apartment. The 40-year-old was shot several ... -
This day in history | 1979 Lord Soames to govern Rhodesia
Cabinet minister Lord Soames has been named transitional governor of Rhodesia to oversee its progress into legal independence. He is to enforce law and order in ... -
This day in history | 1978 Spain set to vote for democracy
Spaniards have been turning out in force today to cast a vote for democracy and end almost 40 years of dictatorial rule. The majority of the ... -
This day in history | 1989 Malta summit ends Cold War
The leaders of the two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, have declared an end to the Cold War after two days of storm-lashed talks ... -
This day in history | 1995 Rogue trader jailed for six years
Former futures trader Nick Leeson has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for his part in the collapse of Britain’s oldest merchant bank. The 28-year-old admitted to ... -
This day in history | 1990 Tunnel links UK and Europe
Construction workers have drilled through the final wall of rock to join the two halves of the Channel Tunnel and link Britain to France. The momentous ... -
This day in history | 1994 Blazing liner abandoned off east Africa
Almost 1,000 people have been forced to abandon a luxury cruise ship in the Indian Ocean after it caught fire. The Achille Lauro – which made ... -
This day in history | 1975 Graham Hill killed in air crash
One of Britain’s greatest motor racing drivers has been killed in a plane crash in south-east England. Graham Hill, 46, who retired from the sport in ... -
This day in history | 1968 Race discrimination law tightened
The new Race Relations Act has come into force, making it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their ethnic background. ... -
This day in history | 1973 Army deposes ‘hated’ Greek president
The Greek Government has been toppled by the country’s armed forces after weeks of unrest. There appears to have been little or no resistance when tanks ... -
This day in history | 2005 Pubs open 24 hours
Round-the-clock drinking in England and Wales is now a reality after new licensing laws came in force. More than 1,000 pubs, clubs and supermarkets have been ... -
This day in history | 1963 Kennedy shot dead in Dallas
The President of the United States has been assassinated by a gunman in Dallas, Texas. John F Kennedy was hit in the head and throat when ...
