Tag: This Day in History
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This day in history | 1994 Mandela becomes SA’s first black president
Nelson Mandela has become South Africa’s first black president after more than three centuries of white rule. Mr Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party won 252 ... -
This day in history | 2001 Thousands greet Pope in Syrian visit
Thousands of people have turned out to greet Pope John Paul II on his historic visit to Syria. The pontiff drove in his popemobile through the ... -
This day in history | 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, ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1952 Anne Frank published in English
The moving diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust, is now available in British book shops entitled The Diary of a Young Girl. ... -
This day in history | 1992 LA in flames after ‘not guilty’ verdict
Fierce rioting has broken out in Los Angeles following the decision by a jury to acquit four white police officers accused of beating black motorist Rodney ... -
This day in history | 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, ... -
This day in history | 1961 Sierra Leone wins independence
Sierra Leone has become the latest West African state to win independence, after more than 150 years of British colonial rule. The new nation was born ... -
This day in history | 1993 Recession over – it’s official
The government has reacted with relief to news that Britain’s economy grew by 0.2% in the first three months of this year, and declared the longest ... -
This day in history | 1984 Scientist finds Aids virus
The discovery of a virus which may cause Aids, the fatal disease sweeping through America, has been hailed as a “monumental breakthrough” in medical research. The ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1945 Red Army enters outskirts of Berlin
Russian troops have captured some outlying suburbs of Berlin at the beginning of what promises to be a bitter battle for control of the city. The ... -
This day in history | 1972 Apollo 16 safely on Moon after engine crisis
The Apollo 16 mission has landed on the Moon after a seven-hour crisis that nearly aborted the mission altogether. Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke became ... -
This day in history | 1995 Many feared dead in Oklahoma bombing
A huge car bomb has exploded at a government building in Oklahoma City killing at least 80 people including 17 children at a nursery. At least ... -
This day in history | 1964 ‘Great Train Robbers’ get 300 years
Some of the longest sentences in British criminal history have been imposed on men involved in the so-called “Great Train Robbery”. Sentences totalling 307 years were ... -
This day in history | 1986 US launches air strikes on Libya
At least 100 people have died after USA planes bombed targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the Benghazi region. Around 66 American jets, some of ... -
This day in history | 1968 Berlin student unrest worsens
A massive student rally in West Berlin has ended in violent clashes between police and protesters. Students blocked the city’s main thoroughfare, the Kurfurstendamm, in protest ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 2003 Saddam statue topples with regime
There have been scenes of jubilation in Baghdad as US tanks rolled into the very heart of the Iraqi capital, confirming that the government of Saddam ... -
This day in history | 1986 Eastwood voted mayor by landslide
Residents of the Californian town of Carmel have overwhelmingly voted for actor Clint Eastwood as their mayor. The turnout was double the norm in the picturesque ... -
This day in history | 1999: US claims ‘banana war’ victory
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled in favour of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with Europe over bananas. The WTO says the ... -
This day in history | 1986 Bomb tears hole in airliner over Greece
Four people, including an eight-month old baby, have been sucked out of a TWA passenger jet after an explosion ripped a hole in its side. The ... -
This day in history | 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 ... -
This day in history | 1986 Greater London Council abolished
Thousands of people have taken part in festivities to mark the historic final hours of 97 years of local rule in London. A throng of 250,000 ... -
This day in history | 1981 President Reagan is shot
President Ronald Reagan has been shot and wounded after a lone gunman opened fire in Washington. He is currently undergoing emergency surgery at George Washington University ... -
This day in history | 1971 Manson sent to gas chamber
Charles Manson and three members of his hippy cult have been sentenced to death in Los Angeles. They were found guilty of the August 1969 murders ... -
This day in history | 1973 Stock Exchange admits women
Women have been admitted to the London Stock Exchange for the first time in the institution’s 200 year history. Ten newly elected lady members entered the ... -
This Day in History | 1975 Saudi’s King Faisal assassinated
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia has died after a gun attack in Riyadh despite the efforts of doctors to save him. The king was rushed to ... -
This day in history | 1992 Punch ends 150 years of satire
Punch, Britain’s oldest satirical magazine, is to close after suffering crippling losses of £1.5m a year. The decision ends a publishing tradition dating back almost 151 ... -
This day in history | 1983 Reagan launches Cold War into space
President Reagan has unveiled plans to combat nuclear war in space. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposes a defensive shield, using laser or particle beam technology ... -
This day in history | 1956 King convicted for bus boycott
Civil rights leader, the Reverend Martin Luther King, has been convicted of organising an illegal boycott by black passengers of buses in the US state of ... -
This Day in History | 1976 Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon to split
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon are to separate after 16 years of marriage, it has been announced by Buckingham Palace. After weeks of speculation a 39-word ... -
This day in history | 1992 South Africa votes for change
White South Africans have backed an overwhelming mandate for political reforms to end apartheid and create a power-sharing multi-racial government. In a landslide victory for change, ... -
This day in history | 1968 Anti-Vietnam demo turns violent
More than 200 people have been arrested after thousands of demonstrators clashed in an anti-Vietnam war protest outside the United States embassy in London. The St ...
