Today in history
1499 – The Swabian War between the Swiss League and Maximilian I ends with the signing of the Treaty of Basel by which the Swiss gained independence. 1735 – Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first British prime minister to occupy 10 Downing St in London. 1776 – Nathan Hale, American patriot, is hanged in New York by the British for being a spy during the American Revolution. 1862 – United States President Abraham Lincoln declares all slaves in rebellious states will be free from January 1, 1863. 1882 – The Garden Palace in Sydney is burned down, destroying many official documents, including papers relating to the convict system and period, the entire Technology Museum and a collection of 300 paintings. Arson was suspected but never proved. 1914 – In World War I, German U-boats sink the British cruisers Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy in the North Sea, killing more than 1400. 1927 – Gene Tunney successfully defends his world heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous ‘‘long-count’’ fight in Chicago. 1934 – The worst pit disaster in Britain for 21 years kills more than 260 miners in an explosion and fire at the Gresford Mine in Wales. 1955 – Commercial television begins in Britain in opposition to the British Broadcasting Corporation. The first advertisement screened is for toothpaste. 1980 – The Gulf War breaks out when Iraq invades Iran in an attempt to control the Shatt al-arab waterway. 1985 – French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius admits that French secret agents acting under orders sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand. 1999 – The US Justice Department files a massive lawsuit accusing the tobacco industry of fraud. 2010 – Declassified US documents show former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein’s inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator had no interest in partnering with al-qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. 2013 – A pair of suicide bombers blow themselves up amid hundreds of worshippers at a historic church in Pakistan, killing 78 people.
Today’s Birthdays:
Anne of Cleves, queen consort of King Henry VIII (1515-1557); Fay Weldon, British author (1931-); Shari Belafonte, US actress (1954-); Debby Boone, US singer (1956-); Nick Cave, Australian musician-actor-author (1957-); Joan Jett, US singer-musician (1958-); Harry Kewell, Australian soccer player (1978-); Billie Piper, English actress (1982-).