ON THIS DAY

1905: Australian poet Dorothy McKellar’s My Country is first published.

1931: Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon make first non-stop flight across Pacific Ocean, arriving in the US 41 hours after takeoff from Japan. 1947: US President Truman delivers the first televised address from the White House.

1962: The Beatles’ first hit, Love Me Do, is released in the UK.

1969: Monty Python’s Flying Circus makes its debut on BBC-TV.

1991: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev pledges to match the US in scrapping tactical nuclear weapons.

1993: China breaks its moratorium on nuclear testing.

Birthdays: Irish rock musician and humanitarian Bob Geldof (1951-); Australian actor Guy Pearce (1967-); British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).