Tag: This Day in History
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This Day in History | 1981 – Hunger striker elected MP
Imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands has been elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Sands stood as a candidate of the ... -
This Day in History | 1976 – Young Liberal leader cleared of robbery
The president of the Young Liberals, Peter Hain, has been acquitted of stealing £490 from a branch of Barclays bank last October. Supporters in the public ... -
This Day in History | 1994 – Rock musician Kurt Cobain ‘Shoots himself’
The lead-singer of American grunge rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, has been found dead in his Seattle home. The 27-year-old rock star had a single gunshot ... -
This Day in History | 1993 – Grand National ends in ‘Shambles’
The Grand National has ended in chaos after a series of events at the start which reduced the world-famous horse race to a shambles. An estimated ... -
This Day in History | 1982 – Argentina invades Falklands
Argentina has invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic. The islands, off the coast of Argentina, have been a cause of ... -
This Day in History | 2000 – Wartime coding machine stolen
A coding machine used by the Germans to encode messages during World War II has been stolen from the Bletchley Park Museum in Buckinghamshire, south-east England. ... -
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 | 1975 National Front rallies against Europe
Members of an extreme right-wing UK party, flanked by 2,000 police officers, have marched through north London in protest against integration with Europe. Beating drums and ... -
This Day in History | 1964 – ‘Ambitious’ plans for south east
Three new cities are proposed for south east England as part of the largest regional expansion plan in Britain. A study, published today, estimates the country’s ... -
This Day in History | 1987 Synod says ‘yes’ to women priests
The Church of England’s General Synod has voted by a huge majority to clear the way for the ordination of women priests. The Church of England ... -
This Day in History | 1997: Dolly the sheep is cloned
Scientists in Scotland have announced the birth of the world’s first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep. Dolly, who was created at the Roslin Institute in ... -
This Day in History | 1972 Nixon makes historic visit to China
The American President Richard Nixon has arrived in China at the start of a week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations between the ... -
This Day in History | 1962 US spaceman orbits Earth
The first American to orbit the Earth has landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, 40, travelled about 81,000 miles (more than 130,000km) ... -
This Day in History | 1996 Bomb blast destroys London bus
Three people are feared dead and eight have been hurt after a bomb exploded on a double decker bus in the heart of London’s West End. ... -
This Day in History | 1983: Hundreds die in Assam poll violence
Hundreds of people have died in Assam as fierce fighting rages in the run-up to the election. Villages have been set on fire and bridges and ... -
This Day in History | 1945 Thousands of bombs destroy Dresden
British and US bombers have dropped hundreds of thousands of explosives on the German city of Dresden. The city is reported to be a vital command ... -
This Day in History | 2001 Landmark Aids case begins in Scotland
A man has gone on trial in Glasgow for knowingly infecting a woman with the HIV virus in a case believed to be the first of ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 1982 Laker Airways goes bust
Pioneering budget airliner Laker Airways has collapsed owing £ 270 million to banks and other creditors. After a four-hour board meeting at London’s Gatwick Airport, company ... -
This Day in History | 1998 4,000 feared dead in Afghan earthquake
An earthquake in northern Afghanistan has left thousands dead, injured or homeless. The earthquake is centred on the city of Rostaq in the remote province of ... -
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 | 1965 Last farewell to Churchill
Thousands of people have paid their last respects to Britain’s greatest wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill who was buried today after a full state funeral. Silent ... -
This Day in History | 1959 – Fog brings transport chaos
Dense fog – the worst for seven years – has brought road, rail and air transport in many parts of England and Wales to a virtual ... -
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 | 1998 – Pope calls for reform in Cuba
Pope John Paul II has called for reform in Cuba and the release of political prisoners while condemning US attempts to isolate the country. The Pope ... -
This Day in History | 1961 – End of the road for Monroe and Miller
The Hollywood screen star Marilyn Monroe has divorced her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after less than five years of marriage. The divorce was granted in Mexico, ... -
This Day in History | 1973 – Nixon announces Vietnam peace deal
The US president, Richard Nixon, has appeared on national television to announce “peace with honour” in Vietnam. Statements issued simultaneously in Washington and Hanoi confirmed the ... -
This Day in History | 1966 – Future of Monte Carlo rally in doubt
The Monte Carlo rally has ended in uproar over the disqualification of the British cars expected to fill the first four places. The first four to ... -
This Day in History | 1967 – ‘Boston Strangler’ sentenced to life
The man who claims to be the ‘Boston Strangler’ has been jailed for life after being found guilty of assault and armed robbery against four women ... -
This Day in History | 1991 – ‘Mother of all Battles’ begins
The Gulf War Allies have sent hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq, at the start of Operation Desert Storm. The American, British, French, Saudi ... -
This Day in History | 1997 – Princess Diana sparks landmines row
Princess Diana has angered government ministers after calling for an international ban on landmines. Her comments – made during a visit to Angola to see for ... -
This Day in History | 1993 Mafia link in cocaine haul
British customs officials have seized £70m of Colombian cocaine which is thought to be directly linked to the Mafia. The discovery of more than a quarter ... -
This Day in History | 1985 Gunmen kill 16 at two European airports
At least 16 people have been killed and more than 100 injured during simultaneous twin terrorist attacks at Rome and Vienna airports. Gunmen opened fire on ... -
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 | 1994 Russian troops storm into Chechnya
Russian President Boris Yeltsin has ordered tanks and troops into the rebel region of Chechnya. Hundreds of tanks and armoured personnel carriers closed in on the ...
