ON THIS day

161

Roman ruler Antoninus Pius dies at 74 in Etruria, ending 84 peaceful years within the empire under five popular rulers. Invasion and civil strife will soon follow. He is succeeded by his son Marcus Aurelius.

1809 Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard, French balloonist, dies in Paris after falling from his balloon at The Hague.

1876

A patent is issued in the US for the telephone devised by Alexander Graham Bell.

1896

Japan opens a consulate in Townsville to support its thousands of workers in north Queensland, mostly in the sugar and pearling industries. Tsunejiro Nakagawa is the first consul.

1917

The Dixie Jazz Band One Step, arguably the world’s first jazz record, is released by RCA Victor in the US for Nick LaRocca’s Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

1936

German troops enter the demilitarised zone east of the Rhine as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles.

1945

US forces start to cross the Rhine at Remagen, Germany, using the damaged Ludendorff Bridge before the Germans blow it up. 1969

Israel’s Labour Party chooses Golda Meir, 70, a former teacher, as the country’s new prime minister. 1970

Triple world champion motor racing driver Jack Brabham, 43, wins his 14th and final Grand Prix, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa. 1988

Sydney’s Jeff Fenech, 24, (pictured) wins his third world boxing title in a victory over Puerto Rican Victor Callejas, 28, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. 1999

Movie director Stanley Kubrick, 71, dies.

2007

A Garuda Boeing 737 crashes at Yogyakarta, killing five Australians and 16 Indonesians, after overshooting the runway. 2017

Malta’s Azure Window landmark collapses after a storm.