ON THIS DAY

1946

Bill Clinton is born in Hope, Arkansas. Clinton went on to become the 42nd president of the United States, taking office in 1992. He was just 46 when elected, becoming the thirdyoungest person to hold the position. He had earlier graduated from Yale Law School and was a two-term Governor of Arkansas. Despite being involved in a sex scandal, Clinton ended his presidency in 2001 with the highest end-of-office approval of any American president since WWII. His wife, Hillary, failed in her bid to win the US presidency in 2016.

1960

Two dogs, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants were onboard KorablSputnik 2 – also known as Vostok-1K

No 2 – when it left Earth from a Soviet launch pad. The satellite completed a successful mission and landed back in the USSR the following day. All of the animals survived the flight into space – the two dogs, Strelka and Belka, were later taxidermied after their deaths and put on display at the Moscow Museum of Space and Aeronautics.

2012

Three New Zealand Defence Force staff were tragically killed when the Humvee they were travelled in ran over an IED in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Private Richard Harris, 21, and 26-year-old medic Lanc Corporal Jacinda Baker were killed instantly. Baker was the first New Zealand servicewoman killed due to enemy action since 1915.