ON THIS DAY

1656: British fleet captures Spanish treasure ships off Cadiz, Spain.

1870: French surrender Versailles to Germans in Franco-Prussian War.

1888: Bertha Soucaret, 18, wins world’s first beauty contest in Belgian town of Spa.

1893: New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all its women the right to vote.

1918: Australian 5th Light Horse Brigade captures Nablus in Palestine, during the final period of World War I.

1957: The US conducts its first underground nuclear test in the Nevada Desert.

2000: At Sydney Olympics, swimmer Ian Thorpe, horsemen Andrew Hoy and Matt Ryan all win third gold medals of their Olympic careers.

Birthdays: France’s King Henry III (1551-1589); British actor Jeremy Irons (1948-); Australian Olympian Sally Pearson (1986-).