Today in History
1525 – Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, is tortured and executed by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes.
1784 – John Wesley signs the ‘‘deed of declaration’’ formalising the establishment of the Wesleyan faith, or Methodists.
1825 – Britain and Russia sign a treaty settling the border between Canada and Alaska, then a Russian possession.
1933 – Nazi decree suppresses civil liberties in Germany.
1945 – Escaped Kiwi POW David Russell is captured and executed in Italy. He is later awarded a posthumous George Cross.
1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce they have determined the structure of DNA.
1975 – An Underground train crashes into buffers at Moorgate station, London, killing 42 people. 1986 – Swedish prime minister
Olof Palme, left, is assassinated on a street in Stockholm while walking home from a cinema.
1990 – Soviet legislature passes a landmark law allowing citizens to acquire land and bequeath it to their children.
1991 – First Gulf War ends as Iraq accepts a ceasefire after its retreat from Kuwait.
1993 – Four federal agents and six members of the Branch Dravidian Christian sect are killed when authorities raid its headquarters in Waco, Texas. A 51-day standoff ensues.
1996 – Britain’s Princess Diana agrees to divorce Prince Charles.
2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigns, aged 85.
Birthdays
Vladimir Nijinski, Russian dancer (1890-1950); Linus Pauling, US scientist (1901-94); Bugsy Siegel, US gangster (1906-47); Frank Gehry, Canadian-born architect (1929-); Mario Andretti, Italian-born racing driver (1940-); Brian Jones, Rolling Stones musician (1942-1969); Ian Smith, NZ cricketer/commentator (1957-).