ON THIS DAY

1829: Original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, arrive in Boston to be exhibited to the Western world.

1948: Death of legendary US baseball player George (Babe) Ruth, aged 53.

1977: Death of rock singer Elvis Presley, 42, at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

1999: US opens a new consulate in the former Saigon, nearly 25 years after an airlift from its old embassy marked the end of the Vietnam War.

2003: Ugandan military ruler Idi Amin, 78, dies.

2004: Venezuelans vote to keep President Hugo Chavez in office in a popular referendum.

2012: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gains asylum in Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

Australian film director Bruce Beresford (1940-); Australian cricketer Jeff Thomson (1950-); US singer Madonna (1958-); US comic actor Steve Carell (1962-).