TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019

On this day in history:

1498 - Vasco de Gama landed at what is now Mozambique on his way to India.

1562 - In Vassy, France, Catholics massacred over 1000 Huguenots. The event started the First War of Religion.

1810 - Sweden became the first country to appoint an Ombudsman, Lars August Mannerheim.

1811 - Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali massacred the leaders of the Mameluke dynasty.

1815 - Napoleon returned to France from the island of Elba. He had been forced to abdicate in April of 1814.

1862 - Prussia formally recognised the Kingdom of Italy.

1896 - The Battle of Adowa began in Ethiopia between the forces of Emperor Menelik II and Italian troops. The Italians were defeated.

1900 - In South Africa, Ladysmith was relieved by British troops after being under siege by the Boers for more than four months.

1901 - The Postmaster-General’s Department in Australia is put into effect.

1901 - The Australian army and navy are formed.

1911 - Jose Ordonez was elected President of Uruguay.

1932 - The 22-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped. The child was found dead in May.

1942 - Japanese forces sink the HMS Perth, resulting in the loss of over 350 men.

1947 - The International Monetary Fund began operations.

1949 - Joe Louis announced that he was retiring from boxing as world heavyweight boxing champion.

1975 - Colour television begins broadcasting in Australia.

1992 - Bosnian Muslims and Croats voted to secede from Yugoslavia.

1999 - In Uganda, eight tourists were brutally murdered by Hutu rebels.

1999 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones began their attempt to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon non-stop. They succeeded on March 20, 1999.