ON THIS DAY

1877: Thomas Edison demonstrates the first sound recording, reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb.

1921: Britain signs peace treaty with Ireland under which Irish Free State is established.

1957: America’s first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit blows up at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1969: Four concertgoers are killed at a Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway, California.

1973: Gerald Ford becomes US Vice President after resignation of scandal plagued Spiro Agnew.

1985: The National Gallery of Victoria buys Pablo Picasso’s Weeping Woman for $1.6 million.

2006: Australia’s federal parliament votes to overturn a ban on human embryo cloning.

2013: Qantas announces at least 1000 job cuts after forecasting a $300 million half-yearly loss.

English King Henry VI (1421-1471); English cricketer Andrew Flintoff (1977-); Australian soccer player Tim Cahill (1979-).