ON THIS day
211 Roman Emperor Geta, co-ruler with his brother Caracalla, is murdered by centurions on the order of his brother. He dies in his mother’s arms and Caracalla becomes sole emperor.
1647 Charles I and the Scots reach a secret agreement, whereby the Scots offer to support the king’s restoration to power for three years in return for his acceptance of Presbyterianism in Scotland and its establishment in England. 1893 Mao Zedong, chairman of the People’s Republic of China, is born.
1898 Scientists Marie Curie and husband Pierre report their discovery of a metal they name radium to the French Academy of Sciences
1906 The Story Of The Kelly Gang, arguably the world’s first feature film (above), premieres in Melbourne.
1908 Texan Jack Johnson becomes the first black boxer to win the world heavyweight title, knocking out Tommy Burns at Sydney Stadium.
1945 The first Sydney to Hobart yacht race takes place. British yacht Rani is later the winner, but holds the record for the slowest finish in the race.
1950 The first Boxing Day Test between Australia and England begins at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia will win by 28 runs before 60,500 fans.
1996 Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey is found strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. The killer has never been caught.
2004 A large earthquake shakes the Indian Ocean floor west of the island of Sumatra, triggering a devastating tsunami that swamps coastal areas with waves up to 30m from Thailand to Africa and kills more than 200,000 people.
2005 Media magnate Kerry Packer, 68, dies of kidney failure at his Bellevue Hill home.