On this date

In 1530, Ivan the Terrible, Czar of Muscovy, was born. He ascended to the Russian throne at the age of three and eventually became the first czar. Ivan laid the foundations for the Russian empire but in 1560 embarked on a rampage of murder and destruction, even murdering his son and only heir.

In 1819, Scottish engineer and inventor James Watt died. Watt, who coined the term “horsepower” and is considered by some to be the father of the industrial revolution, devised the first efficient steam engine and was the first to use such an engine to turn a wheel.

In 1900, German philosopher and poet Friedrich Nietzsche died after prolonged insanity.

In 1944, Allied forces liberated Paris, ending four years of German occupation during the Second World War. The German commander, Maj. Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz, had defied Adolf Hitler’s order to level the French capital rather than give it up. The surrender set off wild celebrations in the streets.

In 1984, Tory leader Brian Mulroney slammed Liberal Prime Minister John Turner in a televised election debate. Mulroney charged Turner had a choice when presented with a list of patronage appointments from former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The Conservatives went on to a landslide election victory.

In 1986, wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen began the cross-Canada portion of his round-the-world journey. Only $172,000 had been donated for spinal cord research when he reached Canada’s most eastern point, Cape Spear, Nfld. But an outpouring of support from Canadians allowed him to reach his goal of $10 million by the time he returned home to Williams Lake, B.C., on April 2, 1987.