Tag: This Day in History
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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 ... -
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 ... -
1987 Aquino suppresses rebel uprising
President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino has forced a group of heavily armed rebels occupying a television station to surrender. Her troops fired tear gas into ... -
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 ... -
1945 Auschwitz death camp liberated
The Red Army has liberated the Nazis’ biggest concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland. According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Polish people, as well ... -
1950 India becomes a republic
The independent republic of India is officially born today, after nearly 100 years of British rule. A public holiday has been declared throughout the country, and ... -
1971 Britain allowed to sell arms to S Africa
The Commonwealth Conference in Singapore has ended with a compromise over the wording of the Declaration of Commonwealth principles. Talks centred around Britain’s proposal to sell ... -
1980 Soviet dissident Sakharov banished
One of the Soviet Union’s most outspoken critics, nuclear physicist Dr Andrei Sakharov, has been ordered into internal exile. Officials in Moscow were angered by an ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
1979 Shah of Iran flees into exile
The Shah of Iran has fled the country following months of increasingly violent protests against his regime. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi and his wife, Empress Farah, ... -
1973 Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam
President Nixon has ordered a halt to American bombing in North Vietnam following peace talks in Paris. The decision comes after Dr Henry Kissinger, the president’s ... -
1983 Man shot by police hunting David Martin
A man has been critically injured in a police ambush in a west London street in what may be a case of mistaken identity. Witnesses said ... -
2004 Serial killer Shipman found hanged
Harold Shipman, the former GP who is believed to have killed more than 200 people, has been found dead in his prison cell. He was found ... -
1991 US Congress votes for war in Iraq
The United States Congress has voted to authorise the use of military force against Iraq to end its occupation of neighbouring Kuwait. The vote seals the ... -
2005 Abbas triumphs in Palestinian elections
Early indications in the Palestinian presidential elections show former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is set to win by a comfortable margin. Polling closed at 1900 GMT, ... -
1996 France’s former president Mitterrand dies
France is mourning the loss of its longest-serving president, Francois Mitterrand, who has died at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. The news was announced ... -
1976 Iceland and Britain clash at sea
A British naval frigate has been involved in another collision with an Icelandic gunboat in the Atlantic. HMS Andromeda was dented when the gunboat, Thor, sailed ... -
1994 Mystery assailant attacks top US skater
An unknown man brandishing a metal crowbar has attacked American figure-skater Nancy Kerrigan. The 24-year-old skater was forced to withdraw from the US national championships in ... -
1985 Israel ends major Ethiopian rescue mission
Israel has airlifted thousands of Jewish Ethiopian refugees out of Sudan, it has emerged. Operation Moses, which has been taking place in secret since 21 November ... -
1987 Zeebrugge heroes honoured
Belgians and Britons who displayed heroism during the rescue operation of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List. A total ... -
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 ... -
1975 New laws to end battle of the sexes
Radical new legislation introducing a woman’s right to equal pay and status in the workplace and in society have come into force in the UK. The ... -
1968 First astronauts orbit Moon
The Apollo 8 spacecraft has taken its crew of three astronauts safely into orbit around the Moon, the first manned space mission to achieve the feat. ... -
1984 Britain signs over Hong Kong to China
The British colony of Hong Kong is to be returned to China in 1997 after an historic agreement was signed in Peking today. Prime Minister Margaret ...
