ON THIS DAY

1888: Tamworth, NSW, becomes first town in Southern Hemisphere to be lit by electricity.

1938: Bands of Nazis roam streets of Germany, burning and destroying Jewish synagogues, homes and stores in Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass).

1963: Coal mine explosion at Umuta, Japan kills 452 miners and injures 450 others.

1971: Chinese Communists make their first appearance at the United Nations.

1989: East Germany opens its borders, leading to the eventual tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

2009: Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev cross the former Berlin Wall to cheers of “Gorby! Gorby!”

Birthdays: John Singleton, Australian media businessman (1941-); Jana Pittman, Australian athlete (1982-); Delta Goodrem, Australian singer-actress (1984-).