ON THIS DAY

337:

Death of Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor.

An official order is issued ending the practice of sending convicts from Britain to the penal colony Australia. Effective in August, the last ship arrived there in November.

Canada becomes the first dominion of the British Empire, gaining a parliament, cabinet, and large measure of independence.

Wright Brothers patent their flying machine in the US.

Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, is jailed for life after being convicted of 13 counts of murder.

1840: 1867: 1908: 1981: Birthdays:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, English author (1859-1930); Sir Laurence Olivier, English actor (1907-1989); Iva Davies, Australian singer (1955-); Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player (1987-); Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (2015-)