ON THIS DAY

1793: The revolutionary government in France starts the 10-month Reign of Terror. 1883: Prospector Charles Rasp pegs first block on the “Broken Hill” in NSW, expecting to find tin. Silver is later discovered.

1908: First publication of Dorothy McKellar’s classic Australian poem My Country.

1939: President Franklin Roosevelt declares US neutrality at the start of World War II in Europe. 1972: During the Munich Olympics, Arab terrorists kill two Israeli athletes. 1994: Anti-crime crusading NSW MP John Newman shot dead outside his Sydney home. 1998: North Korea’s parliament elects Kim Jong Il to the presidency.

Birthdays: France’s Louis XIV (1638-1715); Australian actor George Lazenby (1939-); British rock star Freddie Mercury (1946-1991); Rugby league footballer Matt Geyer (1975-).