TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018 Events in history relevant to today: 1642 - King Charles I attempts to arrest five members of Parliament, triggering England’s slide into civil war. 1688 - English explorer William Dampier lands on Australian soil.

1810 - NSW Governor Lachlan Macquarie takes strong action to restore order following the deposing of Governor William Bligh in the Rum Rebellion.

1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government. 1854 - William McDonald aboard the Samarang discovers the McDonald Islands (part of Australia in the Antarctic)

1865 - The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters near Wall Street in New York City. 1912 - The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.

1948 - Burma (Myanmar) gains independence from Britain.

1951 - Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture the South Korean capital Seoul.

1958 - The world’s first satellite, Sputnik I fell to Earth from orbit. The Soviet Union launched it on October 4, 1957.

1976 - The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen shoot dead 10 Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation. 1990 - In Pakistan’s deadliest train accident, an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.

1991 - The UN Security Council voted unanimously to condemn Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories. 2004 - Spirit, a NASA rover, lands successfully on Mars. 2007 - Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the US House of Representatives - the first woman to hold the position. 2010 - In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower) opened as the world’s tallest structure at 829m. 2013 - A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in the Philippines.