ON THIS DAY

1667: The first known successful blood transfusion is carried out by Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to Louis XIV of France.

1897: Swiss cutlery maker Carl Elsener patents his penknife, later to become known as the Swiss army knife.

1949: Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley delivers his “light on the hill” at the NSW Labor Party Conference.

1964: Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other anti-apartheid leaders are sentenced to life in prison.

1991: Boris Yeltsin is elected president of the Russian Republic.

2003: Gregory Peck, one of the last great stars from Hollywood’s golden era, dies aged 87.

Birthdays: Anne Frank, German-born diarist (1929-1945); Jim Nabors, US actor-singer (1930-); Warwick Capper, AFL player (1963-)