Tag: This Day in History
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This Day in History | 1981 New measures to contain farm disease
The government has banned all animal transport on the Isle of Wight and in southern Hampshire in an attempt to contain a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth ... -
This Day in History | 2002 Woman granted ‘right to die’
A woman paralysed from the neck down has won the legal right to die by having her treatment withdrawn. The judge in the case then urged ... -
This Day in History | 1963 Train drives itself
The first automatic train on the London underground could be hurtling into stations in three weeks, the government has revealed. The trains, which operate without a ... -
This Day in History | 1950 Government falls as Belgians vote for king
The Belgian government has collapsed over a referendum on the return from exile of King Leopold III. Sunday’s vote showed a narrow majority of 57.7% of ... -
This Day in History | 1995 Killer Ronnie Kray dies
Notorious gangland killer Ronnie Kray has died in hospital two days after he collapsed in his ward at Broadmoor where he was serving a life sentence ... -
This Day in History | 1953 Marshal Tito makes historic visit to London
Marshal Josef Tito of Yugoslavia has arrived in Britain, the first Communist head of state to visit the country. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Winston ... -
This Day in History | 1974 Architect jailed over corruption
Architect John Poulson has been jailed for five years for corruption after being found guilty of bribing public figures to win contracts. Poulson, who was found ... -
This Day in History | 1960 Radio telescope makes space history
The British radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire has set a new space record making contact with the American Pioneer V satellite at a distance ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 1967 Stalin’s daughter defects to the West
The daughter of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin has requested political asylum at the United States Embassy in India. The American Mutual Radio network broke the ... -
This Day in History | 1950 Gas turbine car gets road test
Car manufacturers Rover have unveiled the first car powered with a gas turbine engine. JET1, a two-seater model powered by the same kind of engine used ... -
This Day in History | 1965 Police attack Alabama marchers
State troopers and volunteer officers in the southern US state of Alabama have broken up a demonstration of black and white civil rights protesters, injuring at ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 1966 BBC tunes in to colour
The BBC has announced plans to begin broadcasting television programmes in colour from next year. Britain will be the first country in Europe to offer regular ... -
This Day in History | 1970 Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic
The Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Ian Smith, has declared his country a republic, cutting its last link with the British Crown. The new Rhodesian Republic, came ... -
This Day in History | 1990 Secrets act gags Whistleblowers
Whistleblowers and journalists risk prosecution from today if they disclose information the British government considers to be damaging to defence or the country’s interests abroad. The ... -
This Day in History | 1960 Thousands dead in Moroccan earthquake
A huge earthquake has devastated the southern Moroccan city of Agadir killing thousands. A major operation is now underway to rescue scores of people, including many ... -
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 | 1956 Khrushchev lashes out at Stalin
The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, has denounced Joseph Stalin as a brutal despot. In a sensational speech to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party Mr ... -
This Day in History | 1981 Prince Charles and Lady Di to marry
The Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer have ended months of speculation with the announcement they are to be married. At 1100GMT Buckingham Palace ... -
This Day in History | 1981 Rebel army seizes control in Spain
Spain is in a state of political confusion after an attempted right-wing coup. This evening about 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil Guard stormed ... -
This Day in History | 1974 Hearst ‘ransom’ provokes violence
There have been near-riots in Los Angeles as the food distribution demanded as a ransom for kidnapped newspaper heiress, Patty Hearst, turned into farce. The USD2 ... -
This Day in History | 1997 China’s reformist Deng Xiaoping dies
China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 92. He had been suffering from failing health for several years and was last seen ... -
This Day in History | 2005 Ban on hunting comes into force
Fox hunting with dogs is now illegal in England and Wales after a ban on the activity came into force overnight. The law faces a stiff ... -
This Day in History | 1979 China invades Vietnam
China has sent hundreds of troops into Vietnam after weeks of tension and a military build-up along the border. Vietnamese Vice-Foreign Minister Nguyen Ko Tach has ... -
This Day in History | 1959 Castro sworn in as Cuban PM
Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country’s youngest ever premier. At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister in ... -
This Day in History | 1942 Singapore forced to surrender
British forces in Singapore have surrendered unconditionally to the Japanese seven days after enemy troops first stormed the island. A war correspondent of the Japanese News ... -
This Day in History | 1994 Art thieves snatch Scream
Thieves have stolen one of the world’s best-known paintings from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ... -
This Day in History | 1962 Eight die in Paris riot
At least eight people have been killed during a demonstration in Paris against the recent wave of bomb attacks in the French capital. One of the ... -
This Day in History | 1994 Market massacre in Sarajevo
A mortar bomb has exploded in the main market square in Sarajevo killing 68 and wounding 200 people. It is the worst single atrocity in the ... -
This Day in History | 1973 Vietnam observers’ struggle for peace
International inspection teams in Vietnam have been sent into the countryside to monitor the truce agreed last Saturday in Paris. The International Commission of Control and ... -
This Day in History | 1986 Pope and Mother Teresa feed the sick
The Pope has met Mother Teresa, head of the Missionaries of Charities order, in Calcutta and visited her refuge for the sick and dying. When the ... -
This Day in History | 1990 De Klerk dismantles apartheid in South Africa
The President of South Africa has lifted the 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress. In a televised speech at the opening of ... -
This Day in History | 2003 Columbia shuttle disintegrates killing seven
The US space shuttle Columbia has broken up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board. This is the first time there ...
