Tag: This Day in History
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This Day in History | 1997 Mars buggy starts exploring Red Planet
Nasa scientists have freed a robot from the space probe Mars Pathfinder, allowing it to begin its exploration of the Red Planet at last. The rover, ... -
This Day in History | 1954 BBC launches daily TV news
The BBC has broadcast its first daily television news programme. The 20-minute bulletin was read by Richard Baker and was introduced as an “Illustrated summary of ... -
This Day in History | 1976 Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages
Israeli commandos have rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport in Uganda. At about 0100 local time (2200GMT), Ugandan ... -
This Day in History | 1997 Hong Kong handed over to Chinese control
Hong Kong has been handed back to the Chinese authorities – ending more than 150 years of British control. The British flag was lowered over Government ... -
This Day in History | 1985 Beirut ordeal ends for US hostages
All 39 Americans being held captive by the Shia Muslim Amal militia in Lebanon have been released, after almost three weeks in captivity. Their freedom was ... -
This Day in History | 2001 Diana fountain given go-ahead
A memorial in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, is to be built in London’s Hyde Park, the government has announced. The £3m fountain will be ... -
This Day in History | 1958 Algeria prisoners freed to win Muslim support
France has ordered the release of 30 Algerian political prisoners in a move aimed at winning Muslim support over French plans for the colony’s future. General ... -
This Day in History | 1957 Smoking ‘causes lung cancer’
The link between smoking and lung cancer is one of ‘direct cause and effect’, a special report by the Medical Research Council has found. The report, ... -
This Day in History | 1974 Labour rift over nuclear test
The Labour Government has admitted Britain exploded a nuclear device in the United States a few weeks ago. It is thought the underground trial at America’s ... -
This Day in History | 1972 Chancellor orders pound flotation
The Chancellor, Anthony Barber, has announced his decision to temporarily float the pound. The news comes only a day after the bank lending rate was increased ... -
This Day in History | 1941 Hitler invades the Soviet Union
German forces have invaded the Soviet Union. In a pre-dawn offensive, German troops pushed into the USSR from the south and west, with a third force ... -
This Day in History | 1945 US troops take Okinawa
The Japanese island of Okinawa has finally fallen to the Americans after a long and bloody battle. The island, situated 340 miles (550km) south of the ... -
This Day in History | 1995 Shell makes dramatic U-turn
Oil giant Shell has given in to international pressure and abandoned plans to dump its Brent Spar oil rig at sea. But the company’s decision, which ... -
This Day in History | 1970 ‘Babes in the wood’ bodies found
The bodies of two children have been found in a shallow grave in a wood at Waltham Abbey in Essex. Detectives who have been investigating the ... -
This Day in History | 1982 Welsh miners back health workers
The South Wales coalfield has come to a standstill after about 24,000 miners went on strike in support of health service workers, who are demanding a ... -
This Day in History | 1971 Councils defy Thatcher milk ban
Opposition is growing to Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher’s plans to end free school milk for children over the age of seven. The bill received its second ... -
This Day in History | 1961 Panda replaces zebra at road crossing in UK
A new type of road crossing with push button controls for pedestrians is to be introduced next year. The announcement by the Ministry of Transport confirmed ... -
This Day in History | 1967 Moscow calls for UN action against Israel
The United Nations Security Council has rejected Soviet demands for an immediate vote on a resolution condemning Israel’s aggression in the six-day war. Moscow – which ... -
This Day in History | 1983 Thatcher wins landslide victory
Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party has won a landslide second term election victory, taking 397 seats to Labour’s 209. The SDP Liberal Alliance, fighting its first national ... -
This Day in History | 1968 James Earl Ray quizzed over King death
A 40-year-old man has been arrested in London in connection with the murder of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King. James Earl Ray is being ... -
This Day in History | 1942 Japanese beaten in Battle of Midway
The United States has routed the Japanese Navy in a major three-day battle over a remote US naval and air base at Midway Island in the ... -
This Day in History | 1944 D-Day marks start of Europe invasion
Thousands of Allied troops have begun landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France at the start of a major offensive against the Germans. Thousands ... -
This Day in History | 1982 Israeli ambassador shot in London
The Israeli ambassador to Britain is critically ill in hospital after being shot on a London street. Shlomo Argov, 52, was leaving a diplomatic function at ... -
This Day in History | 1966 First US space probe lands on Moon
The United States has landed its first spacecraft on the Moon. Scientists were surprised and delighted that Surveyor 1 – America’s first attempt at a “soft” ... -
This Day in History | 1993 Serb attack on football match kills 11
Eleven people have died after Serb forces shelled artillery onto a holiday football match in Bosnia. Four children were among the dead, and 100 were injured ... -
This Day in History | 1957 Arthur Miller guilty of contempt
US playwright Arthur Miller has been convicted of contempt of Congress. The conviction relates to an investigation last year by the House of Representatives’ Un-American Activities ... -
This Day in History | 1981 Bangladeshi president assassinated
The president of Bangladesh, Zia Rahman, has been assassinated in the south-eastern city of Chittagong. President Zia is believed to have died at 0430 local time ... -
This Day in History | 1955 Election victory for Tories under Eden
The Conservatives have won the general election with a clear majority, ending a five-year political stalemate. The British public has reinforced its support for prime minister, ... -
This Day in History | 1998 Veterans reject Japanese ‘sorrow’
Emperor Akihito of Japan has spoken of his “deep sorrow and pain” over the suffering inflicted by his country during World War II, but did not ... -
This Day in History | 1982 Dozens killed as Argentines hit British ships
Dozens of men are feared dead in the seas around the Falkland Islands after the container ship Atlantic Conveyor and the destroyer HMS Coventry were hit ... -
This Day in History | 1975 Journalists leave fallen Saigon
A group of 80 reporters and cameramen – including nine Britons – have been allowed to fly out of Saigon to Vientiane in Laos. They are ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 1958 High Wycombe weighs new mayor
The mayor and corporation of High Wycombe were weighed in today in full view of the public to see whether or not they have been getting ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 1944 Monte Cassino falls to the Allies
The Polish flag is flying over the ruins of the ancient Italian monastery which has been a symbol of German resistance since the beginning of the ...
