Today in history

1562 – Some 1,200 French Huguenots are slain at Massacre of Vassy, provoking first War of Religion in France.

1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte lands in France, forcing King Louis XVIII to flee.

1872 – US Congress authorises creation of Yellowstone National Park.

1910 – RC Banks unsuccessfully attempts first powered flight in Australia at Digger’s Rest, Victoria, using same biplane used in earlier attempt by Colin Defries.

1932 – Infant son of US aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped from New Jersey home.

1941 – Bulgaria joins the Axis Powers and allows German forces to enter the country.

1961 – US President John F Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.

1973 – Palestinian terrorists invade diplomatic reception in Khartoum, Sudan, and capture five diplomats.

1988 – South African government introduces bill to outlaw foreign funding of political activity.

1990 – Luis Lacalle is sworn in as second president of Uruguay after the restoration of democracy.

1997 – About 5,000 neo-nazis march through Munich to protest against an exhibit on the army’s involvement in World War II atrocities.

1999 – Alarm over reports linking contraceptive pills to lethal blood clots cause thousands of New Zealand women to call a Ministry of Health helpline, overloading it.

2002 – US space shuttle Columbia carries out a mission to repair and refurbish the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.

2004 – The third movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, wins 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and the best director for Peter Jackson.

2007 – Historic rape charges against former and serving senior New Zealand policemen, which have mired the police force in controversy, are tossed out by a jury following a High Court trial.

2010 – Reports emerge of New Zealand SAS troops routing Afghan insurgents following an attack on a Kabul hotel, described by Prime Minister John Key as the first time Kiwis have fired a shot in battle there.

2011 – Memorial ceremonies are held around New Zealand to acknowledge the death and destruction of the Christchurch earthquake a week earlier.

Today’s Birthdays: Frederic Chopin, Polish romantic pianist and composer (1810- 1849); Mark Todd, New Zealand horseman (1956-); Javier Bardem, Spanish actor (1969-); Will Power, Australian motorsport driver (1981-); Ke$ha, American singer (1987-); Justin Bieber, American singer (1994-).