ON THIS day

455

Roman emperor Petronius Maximus abandons the city of Rome after hearing news that Vandal king Genseric is on his way. Petronius is stoned to death in the street.

1578

The catacombs of Rome are discovered at an Italian vineyard. They were used by Christians for burials in ancient times because they were forbidden to bury their dead within the city.

1578

French king Henry III lays the foundation stone of the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge still standing across the Seine.

1884

Dr John Harvey Kellogg applies for a patent for “flaked cereal”. It is later sold to the public as Kellogg’s Cornflakes.

1902

The South African War, or Boer War, comes to a close with the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging.

1913

Joseph Cook becomes the sixth prime minister of Australia.

1916

The British and German fleets fight the indecisive battle of Jutland off Denmark. Britain sustains heavy losses.

1935

Fox Film Corp and Twentieth Century Pictures merge to form 20th Century Fox.

1949

Accused spy Alger New York. Hiss goes on trial in 1962

Former Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann is executed for his part in the killing of millions of Jews during World War II.

1996

American psychologist and author Timothy Leary, known for experimentation with drugs, dies of cancer in Los Angeles, aged 75.

2005

After 30 years, former FBI officer Mark Felt confirms he was “Deep Throat” during the Watergate scandal.

2009

Millvina Dean (above), the last known person to have survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, dies in Southampton, England. She was nine weeks old at the time of the disaster.