Today in history
1590 - The Duke of Parma, advancing from the Netherlands, forces France’s King Henry IV to lift the siege of Paris in Catholic League War.
1798 - Turkey declares war on France.
1864 - Combined British, French and Dutch fleets attack Japan in the Shimonoseki Straits in reprisal for closing ports and expelling foreigners.
1957 - On the Road, by beat author Jack Kerouac, is published.
1975 - In Sacramento, Lynette ‘‘Squeaky’’ Fromme, a follower of the cult leader Charles Manson, attempts to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.
1982 - Death of British pilot Sir Douglas Bader, who despite losing both legs in a flying accident, led his squadron to victory in the Battle of Britain.
1992 - Long-time Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov of Bulgaria is sentenced to seven years in prison.
1997 - Death of Mother Teresa, who worked with India’s poorest people; Death of Sir Georg Solti, Hungarian-born international conductor best known for his pioneering recording of Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle.
2000 - Fierce fighting devastates areas of Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka, for a second day, leaving at least 344 people dead, as the government orders a major military offensive ahead of key elections.
2006 - Felipe Calderon becomes president-elect of Mexico when the nation’s top electoral court votes unanimously to reject allegations of fraud and certify his narrow victory.
2011 - A battered al-qaeda suffers another significant blow when Pakistani agents working with the CIA arrest a senior leader believed to have been tasked by Osama bin Laden with targeting American economic interests around the globe.
2014 - Ukraine, Russia and the Kremlin-backed separatists sign a cease-fire deal after five months of bloodshed; Respected Australian boardmaker Geoff Moase, 48, dies while surfing off Sorga Beach in Lombok, Indonesia.
2015 - NSW Premier says the federal government should be doing more to help asylum seekers, saying stopping the boats is not enough and is ‘‘surely where humanitarianism begins’’.
Today’s Birthdays: Louis XIV, the ‘‘Sun King’’ of France (1638-1715); Johann Christian Bach, German composer and son of Johann Sebastian Bach (1735-1782); Caspar David Friedrich, German painter (1774-1840); Raquel Welch, US actress (1940-); Werner Herzog, German director (1942-); Freddie Mercury, British singer, Queen (1946-1991); Pierre Casiraghi, son of princess Caroline of Monaco (1987-); Alicia Banit, Australian actress (1990-).