Tag: This Day in History
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1997 Dawn of Scottish parliament
A bill giving Scotland its own parliament for the first time in three centuries has been unveiled in Glasgow today. Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar revealed his ... -
1996 Aid workers killed in Chechnya
Six Red Cross workers have been shot dead as they slept in a hospital in Chechnya. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said they ... -
1984 Gorbachev visit to Britain a ‘success’
Mikhail Gorbachev, the man widely tipped as the next leader of the Soviet Union, has spent five hours in “very friendly” talks with the British Prime ... -
1994 Modahl banned for drug taking
The former 800m Commonwealth gold-medallist, Diane Modahl, has been found guilty of taking a performance enhancing drug and banned from competing for four years. The five-strong ... -
1969 Deadly bomb blasts in Italy
At least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a bomb exploded at a bank in Milan, Italy. Up to 14 people ... -
1986 BBC Aids slogan angers church
Church leaders have condemned a radio campaign about Aids for “condoning promiscuity”. A Church of England Bishop has joined Roman Catholic authorities in criticising the “Play ... -
1981 Mystery disease kills homosexuals
A mysterious epidemic, which has been discovered in homosexual men, is causing increasing concern in the United States. The unknown condition, which consists of two separate ... -
1977 Egypt severs ties with Arab hardliners
President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt has broken all relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria and South Yemen. He has ordered their diplomats to leave Egypt within 24 ... -
1961 Birth control pill ‘available to all’
Women who wish to have oral contraception will now be able to get it on the National Health Service. The Health Minister, Enoch Powell, made an ... -
1989 Malta summit ends Cold War
The leaders of the two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, have declared an end to the Cold War after two days of storm-lashed talks ... -
1954 US Senate condemns McCarthy
The United States Senate has censured Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy for conduct unbecoming to a senator. The vote was 67 to 22, with all the Democrats ... -
1955 Black woman challenges race law
A black woman has been arrested by police in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person. Mrs ... -
1994 Norway votes ‘no’ to Europe
Norway has voted to reject membership of the European Union in a referendum, for the second time in its history. With 92% of the referendum votes ... -
1975 TV presenter Ross McWhirter shot dead
Guinness Book of Records co-founder and editor Ross McWhirter has been shot dead outside his North London home. Mr McWhirter was hit at close range in ... -
1983: £25m gold heist at Heathrow
An armed gang has carried out Britain’s largest ever robbery at London’s Heathrow Airport. Over £25m worth of gold bullion bound for the Far East was ... -
1973 Army deposes ‘hated’ Greek president
The Greek Government has been toppled by the country’s armed forces after weeks of unrest. There appears to have been little or no resistance when tanks ... -
1963 Kennedy ‘assassin’ murdered
The man accused of assassinating the US President, John F Kennedy, has himself been shot dead in a Dallas police station. Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old ... -
1979 Mob destroys US embassy in Pakistan
A mob in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, has burned the US Embassy to the ground, killing a US marine. The five-hour siege began as an organised ... -
1977 Egyptian leader’s Israel trip makes history
The president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, has begun his trip to Israel – the first Arab leader ever to visit the Jewish state. President Sadat’s plane ... -
1978 Mass suicide leaves 900 dead
The bodies of 914 people, including 276 children, have been found in Guyana in South America. Most of the dead – members of the People’s Temple ... -
1976 Bank robbers jailed for 100 years
Seven men who took part in an £8m bank robbery have received jail terms totalling nearly 100 years. The raid at the Bank of America in ... -
2000 Fuel protesters rally for tax cut
Convoys of lorries and tractors have converged on the capitals of England and Scotland to mark the 60-day deadline for government action to cut fuel tax. ... -
1979 Times returns after year-long dispute
The Times newspaper has been published for the first time in nearly a year. The paper’s disappearance from news stands followed a dispute between management and ... -
1980 Saturn’s rings caught on film
The Voyager 1 space probe has reached the ringed planet, Saturn and sent back the first vivid photographs of the planet. Scientists have been delighted and ... -
1987 Van Gogh fetches record price
A painting by Vincent Van Gogh has been sold for $49m (£27m) – a world record for a work of art. The final price was more ... -
1995 Nigeria hangs human rights activists
The writer and human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, has been executed in Nigeria despite worldwide pleas for clemency. The country’s military rulers ordered the execution of ... -
1956 Eisenhower re-elected with record vote
General Dwight D Eisenhower has been returned to the White House with the biggest Republican win since Abraham Lincoln’s in 1860. President Eisenhower won 58% of ... -
1968 Nixon wins close contest for president
After a day when the United States appeared to be on the brink of a constitutional crisis, Richard Nixon has finally emerged as the country’s next ... -
1991 Publisher Robert Maxwell dies at sea
The body of the millionaire newspaper publisher, Robert Maxwell, has been found in the sea off the coast of Tenerife. Mr Maxwell’s body was discovered at ... -
1995 Israeli PM shot dead
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been assassinated. Mr Rabin was shot three times at close range in the stomach and chest by an assailant as ... -
1975 Franco’s 36-year reign ends
General Franco’s dictatorship has effectively ended with the announcement heir designate Prince Juan Carlos will take over as provisional head of state for Spain. The move ... -
1979 Chairman Hua arrives in London
The first Chinese leader to visit Britain, Chairman Hua Kuo-Feng, has arrived in London at the start of a six-day visit. He was welcomed at Heathrow ... -
1978 Gunman runs amok in West Midlands
Four people have been killed and four others seriously wounded after a gunman opened fire at two separate locations in the Midlands. The attacks happened on ... -
2003 End of an era for Concorde
The legendary supersonic aircraft, Concorde, has landed at the end of its last commercial passenger flight, amid emotional scenes at Heathrow airport. The final transatlantic flight, ... -
1956 Hungarians rise up against Soviet rule
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Hungary to demand an end to Soviet rule. There are believed to have been many ...
