Today in History

845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, who collect a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.

1556 – Philip II crowned king of Spain.

1794 – The Louvre museum opens to the public.

1797 – Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patents a washing machine.

1800 – Act of Union with England passes Ireland’s Parliament.

1930 – The names of Turkish cities Constantinople and Angora are changed to Istanbul and Ankara.

1939 – Madrid surrenders to General Francisco Franco, ending Spanish Civil War.

1941 – British novelist Virginia Woolf, left, commits suicide. 1955 – New Zealand are bowled out for 26 against England at Eden Park. It remains the lowest score in test cricket.

1959 – China dissolves the Tibetan government and installs an autonomous authority.

1969 – Death of former US president Dwight D Eisenhower.

1979 – Nuclear emergency begins at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, after reactor core overheats.

1983 – New Zealand and Australia sign the Closer Economic Relations agreement.

1987 – Death of Maria von Trapp, who inspired the musical The Sound of Music.

1990 – US President George H W Bush posthumously awards athlete Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal. 2004 – Death of British actor and playwright Peter Ustinov, aged 82.