ON THIS day

69 Deposed emperor Vitellius is captured by Vespasian’s troops and murdered before he can hand over his office insignia.

1216 The Dominican order, or the “Order of Preachers”, is sanctioned by Pope Honorius III.

1817 Naval officer Phillip Parker King and botanist Allan Cunningham leave Sydney in the cutter Mermaid to explore the northwest coast. They are joined by indigenous interpreter Bungaree.

1828 The Sturt-Hume expedition starts down the Macquarie River to trace its course. They will be the first colonists to see the Darling River. 1882

Nellie Melba marries Charles Nisbitt Frederick Armstrong.

1895 Wilhelm Roentgen takes an X-ray of his wife’s hand (above) in Wurzburg, Germany. He finds that the rays can pass through objects such as skin.

1911 Legislation is enacted to create the Commonwealth Bank.

1941 The first US troops arrive in Brisbane. Australia soon becomes a major base for US forces in the war against Japan.

1984 Bernhard Goetz, an American electrician, shoots four African-American males on a New York City subway train, alleging they were mugging him. The incident triggers widespread debate about race and crime in the US.

1989 Nicolae Ceaușescu is ousted after 24 years of dictatorial rule in Romania.

1989 Two passenger buses collide at Clybucca Flat, 12km north of Kempsey, killing 35 people and injuring 41.

1989 The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is reopened, signifying the reunification Germany.

2001 Tariq Raja, aka Richard Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tries to ignite explosives in his shoes but is subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.