Tag: This Day in History
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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 ... -
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 | 1982 US general rescued from Red Brigade
Italian police have rescued US Brigadier General James Dozier without firing a single shot after storming a flat in Padua where he was being held by ... -
This Day in History | 1969 Rebel students take over LSE
Students protesting against the closure of the London School of Economics have seized control of another university building. The rebels have taken over the University of ... -
This Day in History | 1998 Clinton denies affair with intern
President Clinton has strongly denied allegations that he had an affair with a 24-year-old former White House aide. He also rejected accusations that he asked her ... -
This Day in History | 1979 Public sector strike paralyzes UK
Tens of thousands of public sector workers have taken part in a day of action – the biggest mass stoppage since 1926 – in support of ... -
This Day in History | 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 ... -
This Day in History | 2002 Camp X-Ray pictures spark outrage
The publication of photographs of prisoners being held at a US military camp in Cuba has led to concern that their human rights are being abused. ... -
This Day in History | 2001 ‘Internet twins’ taken into care
The American twin girls at the centre of an internet adoption scandal have been seized from a hotel in north Wales and taken into care. The ... -
This Day in History | 1991 Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel
Iraq has attacked two Israeli cities with Scud missiles, prompting fears that Israel may be drawn into the Gulf War. Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, and ... -
This Day in History | 1982 Mark Thatcher found safe and well
The prime minister’s son, Mark Thatcher, is on his way home after being missing in the Sahara for six days. The 29-year-old and two team-mates were ...
