Today in history
1525 — Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, is tortured and executed by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes.
1594 — Britain’s royal physician Roger Loper is arrested for alleged conspiracy to poison Queen Elizabeth.
1653 — English fleet defeats Dutch off Portland, England.
1784 — John Wesley signs the ‘‘deed of declaration’’ formalising the establishment of the Wesleyan faith, or Methodists.
1806 — French forces capture Barcelona, Spain.
1825 — Britain and Russia sign a treaty settling the border between Canada and Alaska, then a Russian possession.
1890 — British mail ship Quetta is wrecked near Thursday Island, killing 134 people.
1933 — Nazi decree suppresses civil liberties in Germany.
1962 — United States announces that new atomic tests will be conducted in atmosphere near Johnson Island in Pacific.
1967 — Death of Henry Luce, US publisher and co-founder of Time magazine.
1975 — In the worst underground train crash to date in Britain, 42 people die when a train crashes into the buffers at Moorgate station, London.
1986 — Sweden’s prime minister Olof Palme is assassinated on a street in Stockholm while walking home from a movie theatre.
1987 — Philippines President Corazon Aquino announces ‘‘full and complete amnesty’’ to Communist rebels who lay down their arms.
1990 — Soviet legislature passes a landmark law allowing citizens to acquire land and bequeath it to their children.
1993 — Four federal agents and six members of a Christian sect are killed when authorities raid the sect headquarters in Waco, Texas. A 51-day standoff ensues, ending with the deaths of about 80 sect members in a fire.
1996 — Britain’s Princess Diana agrees to divorce her estranged husband Prince Charles.
2007 — Two Picasso paintings, Maya And The Doll and Portrait Of Jacqueline, are stolen from the house of the artist’s granddaughter in Paris.
2014 — Russian troops take over Crimea and the newly installed Ukrainian government is powerless to react.
2016 — Spotlight wins Best Picture at the 88th annual Academy Awards. Leonardo di Caprio (The Revenant) and Brie Larson (Room) win Best Actor and Actress honours.
Today’s Birthdays:
Vladimir Nijinski, Russian dancer (1890-1950); Mario Andretti, Italian racing car driver (1940-); Brian Jones, British musician and founding member of the Rolling Stones (1942-1969).