Tag: This Day in History
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1998 Papon guilty of war crimes
Former French cabinet minister Maurice Papon has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for his part in deporting Jews from France during World War II. ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
1989 Millions of Russians go to the polls
Millions of Russian voters have gone to the polls, with early results suggesting that a number of Communist candidates have been rejected by the electorate. The ... -
2000 Pope prays for Holocaust forgiveness
Pope John Paul II has prayed for forgiveness of the sins of those involved in the Holocaust. However, he avoided any admission of Church “guilt” over ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
2003 US launches missiles against Saddam
American missiles have hit the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, signalling the start of the US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. President George Bush delivered a live television ... -
1982 Argentine flag hoisted on S Georgia
A group of Argentines have landed at the British colony of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic and planted their nation’s flag. About 50 Argentines ... -
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 ... -
1979 Grenada leader ousted by coup
A coup in the Caribbean island of Grenada has toppled the country’s controversial Prime Minister, Sir Eric Gairy. Sir Eric was at the United Nations in ... -
1969 Paul McCartney weds Linda Eastman
Paul McCartney has married Linda Eastman in a civil ceremony in London. Hundreds of people gathered outside the Marylebone Register Office to catch a glimpse of ... -
1977 Roman Polanski charged with rape
Film director Roman Polanski has been charged with raping a 13-year-old girl at the home of Hollywood star Jack Nicholson. The 43-year-old, who is out on ... -
1990 Observer ‘spy’ sentenced to die
A court in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has imposed the death sentence on The Observer journalist Farzad Bazoft. He has been convicted of spying for Israel ... -
1973 Northern Ireland votes for union
The people of Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly to remain within the United Kingdom. In a referendum on the future of the province, 591,280 people or ... -
1957 Ghana celebrates independence
The people of Ghana have been celebrating the end of colonial rule and the dawn of their independence. Most workers have been given the day off ... -
1956 US court victory for black students
The United States Supreme Court has upheld a ban on racial segregation in state schools, colleges and universities. The University of North Carolina was appealing against ... -
1975 Comic genius Chaplin is knighted
Silent film legend Charlie Chaplin has become Sir Charles after a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The star of such films as The Kid and The Great ... -
1950 Communist spy jailed for 14 years
A top nuclear scientist has been jailed for fourteen years at the Old Bailey for spying for the Soviet Union. Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs, 38, a ... -
1993 World Trade Center bomb terrorises New York
A suspected car bomb has exploded underneath the World Trade Center in New York killing at least five people and injuring scores more. The bombing has ... -
1986 Corazon Aquino is Philippines president
The new Philippines president Corazon Aquino is sworn in today, bringing to an end years of dictatorship under Ferdinand Marcos. Former leader Mr Marcos, who changed ... -
1959 Macmillan and Khrushchev talk peace
Britain and the USSR have expressed a willingness to expand Anglo-Soviet trade and cultural ties during the first official meeting between British prime minister Harold Macmillan ... -
1972 Hijackers surrender and free Lufthansa crew
A group of Palestinian hijackers who took over a Lufthansa jet in the skies over India two days ago has released the crew and surrendered at ... -
1991 US bombers strike civilians in Baghdad
Hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed and wounded in Baghdad by American bombers. Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz said: “This was a criminal, pre-meditated, planned ... -
1999 Scientists highlight hazards of GM food
A group of international scientists has reinforced warnings genetically modified food may be damaging to health. The 20 independent scientists have signed a memorandum in support ... -
1990 Freedom for Nelson Mandela
Leading anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela has been freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years. His release follows the relaxation of apartheid laws – including ... -
1996 Docklands bomb ends IRA ceasefire
The IRA has admitted planting the bomb that exploded in the Docklands area of London last night. One man was found dead by police sifting through ... -
1995 Space pioneers take first small steps
Michael Foale has become the first British-born American to walk in space. Dr Foale – originally from Lincolnshire – and Dr Bernard Harris, the first black ... -
1983 ‘Butcher of Lyon’ returns to face trial
War criminal and former Gestapo commandant Klaus Barbie has arrived in France to stand trial for crimes committed 37 years ago. The 69-year-old, known as the ... -
1996 First GM food goes on sale in UK
The first genetically modified, or GM, food goes on sale today in British supermarkets. Genetically modified tomato puree, which will be available in Safeway and Sainsbury ... -
1968 More Kenyan Asians flee to Britain
Another 96 Indians and Pakistanis from Kenya have arrived in Britain today, the latest in a growing exodus of Kenyan Asians fleeing from laws which prevent ... -
1959 Buddy Holly killed in air crash
Three young rock ‘n’ roll stars have been killed in a plane crash in the United States. Buddy Holly, 22, Jiles P Richardson – known as ... -
1943 Germans surrender at Stalingrad
The Soviet Government has announced the final defeat of the German 6th Army at the port of Stalingrad, in southern Russia. A statement late this evening ...
