the day in the history

1989: Earthquake hits San Francisco

A powerful earthquake rocks San Francisco killing nine people and injuring hundreds.

Derailed train at Hatfield 2000: Four dead in Hatfield rail crash
Four people are killed when a high speed passenger train derails in Hatfield, just north of London.

1968: Black athletes make silent protest
Two black Americans make history at the Mexico Olympics with a silent protest against racial discrimination.

Nuclear power clock 1956: Queen switches on nuclear power
The Queen opens the world's first full-scale nuclear power station, at Calder Hall in Cumberland.

Grey seals 1978: Grey seal cull dramatically reduced
Public pressure leads ministers to reduce the number of grey seals to be culled in Scotland.

1777 - American troops defeated British forces in Saratoga, NY. It was the turning point in the American Revolutionary War.

1880 - Founder of the Kraft Food Company, Charles Kraft was born.

1888 - The first issue of "National Geographic Magazine" was released at newsstands.

1917 - The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed.

1931 - Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939.

1933 - "News-Week" appeared for the first time at newsstands. The name was later changed to "Newsweek."

1933 - Dr. Albert Einstein moved to Princeton, NJ, after leaving Germany.

1939 - "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" premiered.

1945 - Colonel Juan Peron became the dictator of Argentina after staging a coup in Buenos Aires.

1973 - Eleven Arab nations began an oil-embargo against several countries including the U.S. and Great Britain. The incident stemmed from Western support of Israel when Egypt and Syria attacked the nation on October 6, 1973. The embargo lasted until March of 1974.

1978 - U.S. President Carter signed a bill that restored U.S. citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

1979 - Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1987 - U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

1989 - An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit the San Francisco Bay area in California. The quake caused about 67 deaths, 3,000 injuries, and damages up to $7 billion.

1994 - Israel and Jordan initialed a draft peace treaty.

1994 - The Angolan government and rebels agreed to a peace treaty that ended their 19 years of civil war.

1997 - The remains of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia.

2000 - In New York City, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum opened to the public. The 42nd Street location joined Tussaud's other exhibitions already in London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Las Vegas.

2000 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) achieved his 448th victory as a goalie in the NHL. Roy passed Terry Sawchuck to become the record holder for career victories.

2001 - Israel's tourism minister was killed. A radical Palestinian faction claimed that it had carried out the assassination to avenge the killing of its leader by Israel 2 months earlier.

2001 - Pakistan placed its armed forces on high alert because of troop movements by India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. India said that the movements were part of a normal troop rotation.

2001 - The U.S. Capitol building was closed because of an outside threat. The Capitol building and all House office buildings were closed for inspection following the discovery of anthrax in a Senate office building.

2001 - Italian priest Giuseppe "Beppe" Pierantoni was kidnapped by the terrorist group the "Pentagon." He was released on April 8, 2002.

2003 - In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug, known as memantine, to help people with Alzheimer's symptoms.

2003 - In Taipei, Taiwan, construction crews finished 1,676-foot-tall-building called Taipei 101. The building was planned to open for business in 2004.

1989: East Germany leader ousted

The Communist leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, is forced to step down as leader of the country after a series of health problems.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963: Aristocrat is new prime minister
A Scottish Earl, Lord Home, wins a bitter contest for the leadership of the Conservative Party to become Britain's new prime minister.

Carlo Gambino's coffin is carried into the church 1976: Funeral of Mafia boss held in NY
The funeral of Carlo Gambino takes place in New York following his death on Friday.

Liz Hurley's Estee Lauder advert 2000: Hurley mocked at premiere
Liz Hurley has been greeted by protesters at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Bedazzled.

1469 - Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile. The marriage united all the dominions of Spain.

1685 - King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had established the legal toleration of the Protestant population.

1767 - The Mason-Dixon line was agreed upon. It was the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania.

1842 - Samuel Finley Breese Morse laid his first telegraph cable.

1860 - British troops burned the Yuanmingyuan at the end of the Second Opium War.

1867 - The U.S. took formal possession of Alaska from Russia. The land was purchased of a total of $7 million dollars (2 cents per acre).

1873 - The first rules for intercollegiate football were drawn up by representatives from Rutgers, Yale, Columbia and Princeton Universities.

1892 - The first long-distance telephone line between Chicago, IL, and New York City, NY, was opened.

1898 - The American flag was raised in Puerto Rico only one year after the Caribbean nation won its independence from Spain.

1929 - The Judicial Committee of England's Privy Council ruled that women were to be considered as persons in Canada.

1931 - Inventor Thomas Alva Edison died at the age of 84.

1943 - The first broadcast of "Perry Mason" was presented on CBS Radio. The show went to TV in 1957.

1944 - Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviets during World War II.

1944 - "Forever Amber", written by Kathleen Windsor, was first published.

1950 - Connie Mack announced that he was going to retire after 50 seasons as the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.

1956 - NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.

1958 - The first computer-arranged marriage took place on Art Linkletter's show.

1961 - Henri Matiss' "Le Bateau" went on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art. It was discovered 46 days later that the painting had been hanging upside down.

1967 - The American League granted permission for the A's to move to Oakland. Also, new franchises were awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.

1968 - Two black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee for giving a "black power" salute during a ceremony in Mexico City.

1969 - The U.S. government banned artificial sweeteners due to evidence that they caused cancer.

1970 - Quebec's minister of labor was found strangled to death after eight days of being held captive by the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ).

1971 - After 34 years, the final issue of "Look" magazine was published.

1977 - A German special forces team stormed a hijacked Lufthansa airliner and killed all four hijackers and freed 86 hostages. The Palestinian hijackers had demanded the release of members of the Red Army Faction.

1977 - Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth's record for hitting three homeruns in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.

1983 - General Motors agreed to hire more women and minorities for five years as part of a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

1985 - South African authorities hanged black activist Benjamin Moloise. Moloise had been convicted of murdering a police officer.

1989 - Egon Krenz became the leader of East Germany after Erich Honecker was ousted. Honeker had been in power for 18 years.

1989 - The space shuttle Atlantis was launched on a mission that included the deployment of the Galileo space probe.

1990 - Iraq made an offer to the world that it would sell oil for $21 a barrel. The price level was the same as it had been before the invasion of Kuwait.

1989: Guildford Four released after 15 years

The Guildford Four are released after the Court of Appeal quashes their convictions.

BOAC Comet airliner 1954: 'Metal fatigue' caused Comet crashes
The first day of the public inquiry into the crashes of two Comet airliners within months of each other hears that metal fatigue is the most likely cause.

Flowers at the spot where Mr Schleyer was kidnapped in Cologne 1977: Kidnapped German found dead
The body of kidnapped businessman Hanns-Martin Schleyer is found in the boot of a car in France.

Oil tanker 1970: Large oil field found in North Sea
British Petroleum uncovers a large source of oil that could proved to be a huge boost to Britain's economy.
2001: Inquiries into BSE brain blunder
Two inquiries are launched after researchers conducted BSE tests on cows' brains instead of sheep brains by mistake.

2003: David Blaine ends glass box stunt
Illusionist David Blaine leaves the glass box where he has lived, apparently without food, for the last 44 days.

1765 - In the U.S., The Stamp Act Congress met and drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.

1781 - British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to U.S. General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. It was to be the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.

1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte's French forces began their retreat out of Russia after a month of chasing the retreating Russian army.

1885 - Charles Merrill, founder of Merrill-Lynch, was born.

1914 - In the U.S., government owned vehicles were first used to pick up mail in Washington, DC.

1915 - The U.S. recognized General Venustiano Carranza as the president of Mexico. The U.S. imposed embargo to all parts of Mexico except where Carranza was in control.

1933 - Basketball was introduced to the 1936 Olympic Games by the Berlin Organization Committee.

1937 - "Woman's Day" was published for the first time.

1937 - "Big Town" made its debut on CBS.

1943 - The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers began in Russia during World War II. Delegates from the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, the U.S., and China met to discuss war aims and cooperation between the nations.

1944 - The play "I Remember Mama" opened on Broadway. Marlon Brando made his debut with his appearance.

1944 - The U.S. Navy announced that black women would be allowed into Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).

1950 - The United Nations forces entered the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

1951 - U.S. President Truman singed an act officially ending the state of war with Germany.

1959 - Patty Duke, at the age of 12, made her Broadway debut in "The Miracle Worker." The play lasted for 700 performances.

1960 - The United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.

1969 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew referred to anti-Vietnam War protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs."

1974 - The news program "Weekend" debuted on NBC.

1977 - The Concorde made its first landing in New York City.

1983 - The U.S. Senate approved a bill establishing a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

1984 - Four U.S. employees of the CIA were killed in El Salvador when their plane crashed.

1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508 points. It was the worst one-day percentage decline, 22.6%, in history.

1989 - The Guilford Four were cleared of all charges and released after 14 years in prison. The charges were from the 1975 IRA bombings of public houses in Guildford and Woolrich, England.

1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that barred the desecration of the American flag.

1993 - Benazir Bhutto was returned to the premiership of Pakistan.

1998 - In Washington, DC, Microsoft went on trial to defend against an antitrust case.

1998 - Fires in Nigeria swept through villages killing 500 people.

1998 - Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson got his boxing license back after he had lost it for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight.

2001 - Two U.S. Army Rangers were killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan. The deaths were the first American deaths of the military campaign in Afghanistan.

2001 - It was reported that a New Jersey postal worker and a New York Post employee had tested positive for skin anthrax.

2002 - In York, PA, former mayor Charlie Robertson was acquitted and two other men were convicted in the shotgun murder of a young black woman during race riots in 1969.

2003 - In London, magician David Blaine emerged from a clear plastic box and then suspended by a crane over the banks of the Thames River. He survived only on water for 44 days. Blaine had entered the box on September 5.

1967: Thousands join anti-war movement

Thousands of demonstrators in Oakland, California, hold the biggest protest yet against the Vietnam War.

Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada 1983: Prime minister of Grenada 'assassinated'
Eyewitnesses say the prime minister and seven of his colleagues have been killed during a hardline military coup.

Mordechai Vanunu 1986: Nuclear technician missing after secrets leak
Fears grow for the missing nuclear technician who has disappeared in London.

James Mawdsley 2000: British activist freed from Burma
Human rights activist James Mawdsley is released from prison in Burma where he has been held since 1999.

Dalai Lama at Westminster School, London 1973: Dalai Lama makes first UK visit
The leader of Tibet's Buddhists arrives in Britain where he will stay for 10 days to "administer vows".

1988: New law could erode right to silence
The British Government announces plans to change the law so that remaining silent could incriminate rather than protect a suspect.

1740 - Maria Theresa became the ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia with the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.

1774 - The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America's colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies "discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment."

1803 - The U.S. Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase.

1818 - The U.S. and Great Britain established the boundary between the U.S. and Canada to be the 49th parallel.

1827 - The Battle of Navarino took place during the Greek War for Independence.

1873 - A Hippodrome was opened in New York City by showman Phineus T. (P.T.) Barnum.

1892 - The city of Chicago dedicated the World's Columbian Exposition.

1903 - A joint commission ruled in favor of the U.S. concerning a dispute over the boundary between Canada and the District of Alaska.

1910 - A baseball with a cork center was used in a World Series game for the first time.

1930 - "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" debuted on NBC radio.

1935 - Mao Zedong arrived in Hanoi after his Long March that took just over a year. He then set up the Chinese Communist Headquarters.

1942 - Pierre Laval told the French labor that they must serve in Germany.

1944 - Allied forces invaded the Philippines.

1944 - During World War II, the Yugoslav cities of Belgrade and Dubrovnik were liberated.

1947 - Hollywood came under scrutiny as the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence within the motion picture industry.

1952 - The Mau Mau uprising against white settlers began in Kenya.

1955 - "No Time for Sergeants" opened on Broadway.

1957 - Walter Cronkite began hosting "The 20th Century." The show aired until January 4, 1970.

1967 - Seven men were convicted in Meridian, MS, on charges of violating the civil rights of three civil rights workers. Of the men convicted one was a Ku Klux Klan leader and another was a sheriff's deputy.

1968 - Jackie Lee Bouvier Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis.

1976 - More than 70 people were killed when the Norwegian tanker Frosta collided with the ferryboat George Prince on the Mississippi River.

1979 - The John F. Kennedy Library in Boston was dedicated.

1984 - The U.S. State Department reduced the number of Americans assigned to the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

1986 - American mercenary Eugene Hasenfus was formally charged by the Nicaraguan government on several charges including terrorism.

1993 - Attorney General Janet Reno warned the TV industry to limit the violence in their programs.

1995 - Britain, France and the U.S. announced a treaty that banned atomic blasts in the South Pacific.

2003 - A 40-year-old man went over Niagara Falls without safety devices and survived. He was charged with illegally performing a stunt.

1966: Coal tip buries children in Aberfan

Tragedy hits the Welsh village of Aberfan as a coal slag tip engulfs a school burying at least 130 people and injuring many more.

Jomo Kenyatta 1952: Kenyatta arrested in security raid
The President of the Kenya African Union, Jomo Kenyatta, is arrested following the declaration of a state of emergency in the British colony of Kenya.

Anthrax spores 2001: Anthrax claims third victim in US
A post office worker in Washington becomes the third person to be diagnosed with anthrax.

Gerry Adams, vice president of Sinn Fein 1982: Sinn Fein triumph in elections
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness make history as they become the first members of Sinn Fein to be elected to the Ulster Assembly.

Tiede Herrema 1975: Herrema kidnappers under siege
Armed police are surrounding a house near Dublin where kidnapped businessman Tiede Herrema is being held captive.

1797 - "Old Ironsides," the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, was launched in Boston's harbor.

1805 - The Battle of Trafalgar occurred off the coast of Spain. The British defeated the French and Spanish fleet.

1849 - The first tattooed man, James F. O'Connell, was put on exhibition at the Franklin Theatre in New York City, NY.

1858 - The Can-Can was performed for the first time in Paris.

1879 - Thomas Edison invented the electric incandescent lamp. It would last 13 1/2 hours before it would burn out.

1917 - The first U.S. soldiers entered combat during World War I near Nancy, France.

1918 - Margaret Owen set a typing speed record of 170 words per minute on a manual typewriter.

1925 - The photoelectric cell was first demonstrated at the Electric Show in New York City, NY.

1925 - The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it had fined 29,620 people for prohibition (of alcohol) violations.

1944 - During World War II, the German city of Aachen was captured by U.S. troops.

1945 - Women in France were allowed to vote for the first time.

1950 - Chinese forces invaded Tibet.

1959 - The Guggenheim Museum was opened to the public in New York. The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

1966 - In south Wales, 140 people were killed by a coal waste landslide engulfed a school and several houses.

1967 - Thousands of demonstrators marched in Washington, DC, in opposition to the Vietnam War.

1980 - The Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series.

1983 - The Pentagon reported that 2,000 Marines were headed to Grenada to protect and evacuate Americans living there.

1986 - Pro-Iranian kidnappers in Lebanon claimed that they had abducted American writer Edward Tracy. He was not released until August of 1991.

1986 - The U.S. ordered 55 Soviet diplomats to leave. The action was in reaction to the Soviet Union expelling five American diplomats.

1988 - Former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos and his wife, Imelda, were indicted in New York on fraud and racketeering charges. Marcos died before his trial and Imelda was acquitted in 1990.

1991 - Jesse Turner, an American hostage in Lebanon, was released after nearly five years of being imprisoned.

1993 - The play "The Twilight of the Golds" opened.

1994 - North Korea and the U.S. signed an agreement requiring North Korea to halt its nuclear program and agree to inspections.

1994 - Rosario Ames, the wife of CIA agent Aldrich Ames, was sentenced to five years in prison for her role in her husband's espionage.

1998 - 68 people were arrested in Indonesia for the killing spree that left nine suspected murderers dead.


2003 - North Korea rejected U.S. President Bush's offer of a written pledge not to attack in exchange for the communist nation agreeing to end its nuclear weapons program.

1974: West End bomb injures three

A bomb explodes in a restaurant near to where opposition leader Edward Heath is dining in London.

George Blake 1966: Double-agent breaks out of jail
One of Britain's most notorious double-agents, George Blake, escapes from prison in a daring break-out believed to have been masterminded by the Soviet Union.

Rusting ship abandoned in what was the Aral Sea 1990: Aral Sea is 'world's worst disaster'
Scientists tell the Royal Geographical Society how irrigation has destroyed what was once the world's fourth largest fresh water sea.

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo 1983: CND march attracts biggest ever crowd
Thousands gather in London to support the CND in their protest over the use of nuclear missiles.

Stranded car at Caldecote in Cambridgeshire 2001: UK braced for more flooding
The UK prepares for more rain in what are thought to be the worst floods for twenty years..

1746 - The College of New Jersey was officially chartered. It later became known as Princeton University.

1797 - Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first recorded parachute jump. He made the jump from about 3,000 feet.

1836 - Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

1844 - This day is recognized as "The Great Disappointment" among those who practiced Millerism. The world was expected to come to an end according to the followers of William Miller.

1879 - Thomas Edison conducted his first successful experiment with a high-resistance carbon filament.

1883 - The New York Horse show opened. The first national horse show was formed by the newly organized National Horse Show Association of America.

1907 - The Panic of 1907 began when depositors began withdrawing money from many New York banks.

1934 - Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, the notorious bank robber, was shot and killed by Federal agents in East Liverpool, OH.

1939 - The first televised pro football game was telecast from New York. Brooklyn defeated Philadelphia 23-14.

1950 - The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record by defeating the Baltimore Colts 70-27. It was a record score for a regular season game.

1954 - The Federal Republic of Germany was invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

1959 - "Take Me Along" opened on Broadway.

1962 - U.S. President Kennedy went on radio and television to inform his nation about his order to send U.S. forces to blockade Cuba. The blockade was in response to the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.

1968 - Apollo 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft had orbited the Earth 163 times.

1975 - Air Force Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich was discharged after publicly declaring his homosexuality. His tombstone reads " "A gay Vietnam Veteran. When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

1979 - The ousted Shah of Iran, Mohammad Riza Pahlavi was allowed into the U.S. for medical treatment.

1981 - The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

1983 - At the Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, an armed man crashed a truck through front gates and demanded to speak with U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

1986 - U.S. President Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 into law.

1991 - The European Community and the European Free Trade Association agreed to create a free trade zone of 19 nations by the year 1993.

1995 - The 50th anniversary of the United Nations was marked by a record number of world leaders gathering.

1995 - British writer Sir Kingsley Amis died at the age of 73.

1998 - The United Nations announced that over 2 million children had been killed in war as innocent victims since 1987.

1998 - Pakistan's carpet weaving industry announced that they would begin to phase out child labor.

1999 - China ended its first-ever human rights conference in which it defied Western definitions of civil liberties.

1999 - The U.N. Security Council voted to send 6,000 troops to Sierra Leone to oversee a peace plan that had been signed in July.

1956: Hungarians rise up against Soviet rule

Tens of thousands of people take to the streets in Hungary to demand an end to Soviet rule.

Remains of the US Battalion Landing Team headquarters 1983: Beirut blasts kill US and French soldiers
At least 146 American marines and 27 French servicemen have been killed after two separate bomb attacks on military headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

General John de Chastelain 2001: IRA begins decommissioning weapons
The Northern Ireland peace process reaches an historic breakthrough as the IRA announce they are decommissioning their weapons.

Jockey Lester Piggott 1987: Piggott sent to jail for three years
Jockey Lester Piggott has started a three year prison sentence after admitting £3.25m tax fraud.

The car involved in the shooting 1971: Two women shot at Belfast checkpoint
British soldiers kill sisters Mary Ellen Meehan and Dorothy Maguire in a car speeding towards a checkpoint.

42 B.C. - Marcus Junius Brutus committed suicide after his defeat at the Battle of Philippi. He was a leading conspirator in the assassination of Julius Caesar.

1864 - During the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated the Confederate forces in Missouri that were under Gen. Stirling Price.

1869 - John (William) Heisman was born. He is recognized as one of the greatest innovators of the game of football.

1910 - Blanche S. Scott became the first woman to make a public solo airplane flight.

1915 - The first U.S. championship horseshoe tourney was held in Kellerton, IA.

1915 - Approximately 25,000 women demanded the right to vote with a march in New York City, NY.

1929 - In the U.S., the Dow Jone Industrial Average plunged starting the stock-market crash that began the Great Depression.

1930 - J.K. Scott won the first miniature golf tournament. The event was held in Chattanooga, TN.

1942 - During World War II, the British began a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein, Egypt.

1944 - During World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf began.

1946 - The United Nations General Assembly convened in New York for the first time.

1956 - Hungarian citizens began an uprising against Soviet occupation. On November 4, 1956 Soviet forces enter Hungar and eventually suppress the uprising.

1956 - NBC broadcasted the first videotape recording. The tape of Jonathan Winters was seen coast to coast in the U.S.

1958 - Russian poet and novelist Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. He was forced to refuse the honor due to negative Soviet reaction. Pasternak won the award for writing "Dr. Zhivago".

1962 - During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. quarantine of Cuba was approved by the Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).

1973 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon agreed to turn over the subpoenaed tapes concerning the Watergate affair.

1971 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to expel Taiwan and seat Communist China.

1978 - China and Japan formally ended four decades of hostility when they exchanged treaty ratifications.

1980 - The resignation of Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin was announced.

1983 - A U.S. Marine compound at Beirut International Airport was blown up by a Shiite suicide bomber killing 241 Americans.

1984 - "NBC Nightly News" aired footage of the severe drought in Ethiopia.

1985 - U.S. President Reagan arrived in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly.

1989 - In Boston, MA, Charles Stuart claimed he and his pregnant wife, Carol, had been shot in their car by a black robber. Carol Stuart and her prematurely delivered baby died. Charles Stuart later died, an apparent suicide, after he was implicated in the murder of his wife and child.

1989 - Hungary became an independent republic, after 33 years of Soviet rule.

1992 - Japanese Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese emperor to stand on Chinese soil.

1992 - A former French health official was sentenced to four years in prison for allowing 1,200 hemophiliacs to receive AIDS-tainted blood.

1993 - Joe Carter (Toronto Blue Jays) became only the second player to end the World Series with a homerun.

1995 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton agree to a joint peacekeeping effort in the war-torn Bosnia.

1996 - The civil trial of O.J. Simpson opened in Santa Monica, CA. Simpson was later found libel in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

1998 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat reach a breakthrough in a land-for-peace West Bank accord.

1998 - Japan nationalized its first bank since World War II.

2001: Swiss tunnel ablaze after head-on crash

At least 10 people die after two lorries crash head-on and catch fire inside the Gotthard road tunnel in Switzerland.

Side profile of Nilsen 1983: Nilsen 'strangled and mutilated' victims
Civil servant Dennis Nilsen goes on trial accused of six murders and two attempted murders.

Concorde taking off from New York (copyright: AFP) 2003: Concorde lands for last time
The legendary supersonic aircraft, Concorde, makes its last commercial passenger flight amid emotional scenes at Heathrow airport

Nezar Hindawi 1986: UK cuts links with Syria over bomb plot
The UK government has broken off diplomatic relations with Syria following revelations of official complicity in Nezar Hindawi's plot to blow up an El Al airliner.

One of the many banners at the CND rally 1981: CND rally attracts thousands
More than 250,000 people have marched through London to protest over the siting of nuclear missiles in the UK.

1537 - Jane Seymour, the third wife of England's King Henry VIII, died after giving birth to Prince Edward. Prince Edward became King Edward VI.

1632 - Scientist Anthony van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Holland. He created the first microscope lenses that were powerful enough to observe single-celled animals.

1648 - The Holy Roman Empire was effectively destroyed by the Peace of Westphalia that brought an end to the Thirty Years War.

1788 - Poet Sarah Joseph Hale was born. She wrote the poem "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

1795 - The country of Poland was divided up between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Poland was reestablished at the end of World War II in 1944.

1830 - Belva Lockwood was born. She was the first woman formally nominated for the U.S. Presidency.

1836 - Alonzo D. Phillips received a patent for the phosphorous friction safety match.

1861 - The first transcontinental telegraph message was sent when Justice Stephen J. Field of California transmitted a telegram to U.S. President Lincoln.

1901 - Daredevil Anna Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel. She was 43 years old.

1929 - In The U.S., investors dumped more than 13 million shares on the stock market. The day is known as "Black Thursday."

1931 - The George Washington Bridge opened for traffic between New York and New Jersey.

1939 - Nylon stockings were sold to the public for the first time in Wilmington, DE.

1940 - In the U.S., the 40-hour workweek went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

1945 - The United Nations (UN) was formally established less than a month after the end of World War II.

1945 - Pierre Laval of France and Vidkum Abraham Quisling of Norway were executed. The two men were recognized as the two most prominent collaborators of the Nazis.

1948 - The term "cold war" was used for the first time. It was in a speech by Bernard Baruch before the Senate War Investigating Committee.

1949 - The cornerstone for the U.N. Headquarters was laid in New York.

1960 - All remaining American-owned property in Cuba was nationalized. The process of nationalizing all U.S. and foreign-owned property in Cuban had begun on August 6, 1960.

1962 - During the Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. military forces went on the highest alert in the postwar era in preparation for a possible full-scale war with the Soviet Union. The U.S. blockade of Cuba officially began on this day.

1986 - Britain broke off relations with Syria after a Jordanian was convicted in an attempted bombing. The evidence in the trial led to the belief that Syria was involved in the attack on the Israeli jetliner.

1989 - Reverend Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 for his conviction on 24 counts of fraud. In 1991, his sentence was reduced to eighteen years and he was released on parole after a total five years in prison.

1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series.

1997 - In Arlington, VA, former NBC sportscaster Marv Albert was spared a jail sentence after a courtroom apology to the woman he'd bitten during a sexual encounter.

1999 - An Israeli court sentenced American teen-ager Samuel Sheinbein to 24 years in prison. The crime was killing an acquaintance in Maryland in 1997.

2001 - The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that gave police the power to secretly search homes, tap all of a person's telephone conversation and track people's use of the Internet.

2001 - The U.S. stamp "United We Stand" was dedicated.

2001 - NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Mars.

2002 - Microsoft Corp. and Walt Disney Co. announced the release of an upgraded MSN Internet service with Disney content.

2003 - In London, the last commercial supersonic Concorde flight landed.

1983: US troops invade Grenada

American forces seize control of the Caribbean island of Grenada less than a week after a left-wing coup in which the prime minister, Maurice Bishop, was killed.

Photo of Victoria Falls 1964: President Kaunda takes power in Zambia
Zambia is the ninth African state to gain independence from the British crown.

starving Ethiopian child 1984: Europe grants emergency aid for Ethiopia
The EEC is donating £1.8 million to help combat the famine in Ethiopia.

National Theatre 1976: Queen opens National Theatre in London
The Queen has officially opened the National Theatre on the South Bank in London after years of delays.

Handcuffs 2001: Crime rates lowest for 20 years
British Crime Survey reveals the chances of being a victim of crime are lowest for 20 years.

2137 B.C. - Chinese Royal astronomers, Ho and Hsi, were executed after not predicting a solar eclipse caused panic in the streets of China.

1400 - Geoffrey Chaucer died at the age of 57. He was the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey.

1415 - England won the Battle of Agincourt over France during the Hundred Years' War. Almost 6000 Frenchmen were killed while fewer than 400 were lost by the English.

1760 - George III took the British throne after the death of King George II, his grandfather.

1812 - During the War of 1812, the U.S. frigate United States captured thee British vessel Macedonian.

1854 - The Charge of the Light Brigade took place during the Crimean War.

1870 - The first U.S. trademark was given. The recipient was the Averill Chemical Paint Company of New York City.

1881 - The founder of "Cubism," Pablo Picasso, was born in Malaga, Spain.

1888 - Richard Byrd, the first person to see the North Pole, was born.

1917 - The Bolsheviks (Communists) under Vladimir Ilyich Lenin seized power in Russia.

1918 - The Canadian steamship Princess Sophia hit the reef off the coast of Alaska. Nearly 400 people died.

1920 - King Alexander of Greece died from blood poisoning that resulted from a bite from his pet monkey.

1929 - Alber B. Fall, of U.S. President Harding's cabinet, was found guilty of taking a bribe. He was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000.

1939 - "The Time of Your Life," by William Saroyan, opened in New York.

1951 - Peace talks resumed concerning the Korean War after 63 days.

1954 - A U.S. cabinet meeting was televised for the first time.

1955 - The microwave oven was introduced by The Tappan Company.

1958 - U.S. Marines withdrew form Beirut, Lebanon. They had been sent in on July 25, 1958, to protect the nation's pro-Western government.

1960 - The Accutron watch by the Bulova Watch Company was introduced.

1962 - U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson presented photographic evidence to the United Nations Security Council. The photos were of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

1962 - American author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

1971 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to expel Taiwan and admit mainland China.

1983 - U.S. troops invaded Grenada to restore order and provide protection to U.S. citizens after a recent coup within Grenada's Communist (pro-Cuban) government.

1990 - It was announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney that the Pentagon was planning to send 100,000 more troops to Saudi Arabia.

1994 - Susan Smith of Union, SC, claimed that a black carjacker had driven off with her two sons. Smith was later convicted of drowning her children in a nearby lake.

2000 - AT&T Corp. announced that it would restructure into a family of four separately traded companies (consumer, business, broadband and wireless).

2001 - It was announced that scientists had unearthed the remains of an ancient crocodile which lived 110 million years ago. The animal, found in Gadoufaoua, Niger, grew as long as 40 feet and weighed as much as eight metric tons.

1994: Israel and Jordan make peace

At a ceremony in the desert witnessed by US President Clinton, Jordan and Israel sign a peace agreement ending 46 years of war.

President Park Chung Hee 1979: South Korean President killed
The President of South Korea, Park Chung Hee, has been 'accidentally' shot dead by the chief of his intelligence service, Kim Jea Kyu.

Demonstrators climbing on to tank 1956: Fighting spreads in Hungary revolution
Fighting in Hungary between demonstrators and the Soviet Army is reported to be spreading.

Winston Churchill 1951: Churchill wins general election
The Conservatives defeat Labour in the general election by a small majority making Winston Churchill prime minister for the second time.

Jeffrey Archer 1986: Archer quits over paid prostitute allegations
Jeffrey Archer has quit his post as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party.

2000: BSE report published
The long awaited report into the spread of BSE or 'mad cow disease' and its fatal human equivalent, vCJD, has criticised officials, scientists and government ministers.

1774 - The First Continental Congress of the U.S. adjourned in Philadelphia.

1825 - The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York. The 363-mile canal connected Lake Erie and the Hudson River at a cost of $7,602,000.

1854 - Charles William Post was born. He was the inventor of "Grape Nuts," "Postum" and "Post Toasties."

1858 - H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine.

1881 - The "Gunfight at the OK Corral" took place in Tombstone, AZ. The fight was between Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holiday and the Ike Clanton Gang.

1905 - Norway gained independence from Sweden.

1915 - Jackie Coogan was born. He became the first child to appear in a full-length movie, "The Kid."

1942 - The U.S. ship Hornet was sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz during World War II.

1944 - During World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf ended. The battle was won by American forces and brought the end of the Pacific phase of World War II into sight.

1949 - U.S. President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour.

1951 - Winston Churchill became the prime minister of Great Britain.

1955 - New York City's "The Village Voice" was first published.

1957 - The Soviet Union announced that defense minister Marchal Georgi Zhukov had been relieved of his duties.

1958 - Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York City to Paris.

1962 - The Soviet Union made an offer to end the Cuban Missile Crisis by taking their missile bases out of Cuba if the U.S. agreed to not invade Cuba and would remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey.

1967 - The Shah of Iran crowned himself and his Queen after 26 years on the Peacock Throne.

1970 - "Doonesbury," the comic strip by Gary Trudeau, premiered in 28 newspapers across the U.S.

1972 - U.S. National security adviser Henry Kissinger declared, "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam.

1975 - Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to officially visit to the United States.

1977 - The experimental space shuttle Enterprise successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

1979 - South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot to death by Kim Jae-kyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.

1980 - Israeli President Yitzhak Navon became the first Israeli head of state to visit Egypt.

1984 - "Baby Fae" was given the heart of baboon after being born with a severe heart defect. She lived for 21 days with the animal heart.

1985 - Approximately 110,000 people marched past the U.S. and Soviet embassies in London to pressure the two countries to end their arms race.

1988 - Roussel Uclaf, a French pharmaceutical company, announced it was halting the worldwide distribution of RU-486. The pill is used to induce abortions. The French government made the company reverse itself two days later.

1988 - Two whales were freed by Soviet and American icebreakers. The whales had been trapped for nearly 3 weeks in an Arctic ice pack.

1990 - The U.S. State Department issued a warning that terrorists could be planning an attack on a passenger ship or aircraft.

1990 - William S. Paley died at the age of 89. He was the founder of CBS Inc.


1991 - Former Washington Mayor Marion Barry arrived at a federal correctional institution in Petersburg, VA, to begin serving a six-month sentence for cocaine possession.

1992 - General Motors Corp. Chairman Robert Stempel resigned after the company recorded its highest losses in history.

1992 - In Canada, voters rejected the Charlottetown accord, which was designed to unify the country.

1993 - Deborah Gore Dean was convicted of 12 felony counts of defrauding the U.S. government and lying to the U.S. Congress. Dean was a central figure in the Reagan-era HUD scandal.

1994 - Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty.


1996 - Federal prosecutors cleared Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing.

1998 - A French lab found a nerve agent on an Iraqi missile warhead.

2001 - It was announced that Fort Worth's Lockheed Martin won a defense contract for $200 billion over 40 years. The contract, for the "joint strike fighter," was the largest defense contract in history.

2002 - Russian authorities pumped a gas into a theater where separatist rebels held over 800 hostages. The gas killed 116 hostages and all 50 hostage-takers were killed by the gas or gunshot wounds.