ON THIS DAY

1842: Anglo-Chinese war ends with Treaty of Nanking, with ceding of Hong Kong to Britain.

1882: English cricketers lose to Australia on English soil for the first time.

1885: First motorcycle, built by Gottlieb Daimler in Germany, is patented.

1944: US troops march down the Champs-Elysees in Paris as the French capital celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.

1966: The Beatles play their last concert before 25,000 fans at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

1992: Last Russian diplomats pull out of Kabul, ending a decade of involvement in Afghanistan.

2005: Hurricane Katrina rams into the US Gulf Coast with 225km/h winds devastating the city of New Orleans and killing 1330 people.

Birthdays: US politician John McCain (1936-); US pop star Michael Jackson (1958-2009); Australian TV performer Charlie Pickering (1977-).