ON THIS day

41AD

Insane Roman emperor Caligula is murdered by a tribune of the Praetorian Guard and others. 1788

French frigates La Boussole and L’Astrolabe, commanded by the Comte de la Perouse, arrive off Botany Bay. They leave on March 10, never to be seen again. They are later wrecked on Vanikoro Island, Vanuatu, and all lives lost.

1848

Carpenter James Marshall finds gold flakes in California, starting a gold rush.

1850

The Australian Agricultural Co’s 20year monopoly on coal mining in NSW ends. This leads to a boom in the Hunter Valley.

1874

A cricket match begins in Sydney’s Domain between an English 11 captained by W.G. Grace and a NSW team of 18. The home side win by eight wickets.

1903

The pipeline from a Perth dam to the Kalgoorlie goldfields is opened, pumping water to the arid town. 1941

American singersongwriter Neil Diamond, who wrote pop songs for other musicians before launching a successful solo recording career, is born. 1961

A US B-52 bomber with two unarmed 24megaton nuclear bombs crashes in North Carolina. Three crew die but five parachute to safety. The bombs fall harmlessly.

1972

Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi (above) is found in the jungles of Guam where he had been hiding since World War II. He lived in a cave. 1989

American serial killer Ted Bundy, who confessed to murdering 30 women, though many believe the number to be much higher, is executed at age 42. 2004

Launched in mid2003, the sixwheeled robotic rover Opportunity lands on Mars. Like its twin rover, Spirit, which had landed on January 3, it analyses rocks and soils and relays pictures back to Earth. 2005

Fayez (Frank) Hakim, godfather of Sydney crime, dies at 74.