Today in History

1784 – A Russian fur trader founds Three Saints Bay, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska.

1891 – Women’s suffrage petitions, signed by 9000 women, are presented to New Zealand’s Parliament. It took a further two years before suffrage law was enacted.

1893 – France becomes the first country to introduce motor vehicle registration plates.

1945 – An official announcement of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies is made public to the Japanese people.

1947 – Pakistan is founded after British rule ends.

1949 – West Germans vote for the first time since the end of World War II. 1980 – Workers in Poland seize the Lenin Shipyard and demand pay rises and the right to form a union free from communist control. 1985 – Michael Jackson, left, takes control of the Beatles’ publishing rights.

1994 – The terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is captured in Sudan by French intelligence agents.

1997 – Timothy Mcveigh is sentenced to death for the Oklahoma City bombing.

2003 – A blackout knocks out power across the eastern United States and parts of Canada, affecting 50 million people.

2016 – Jamaican Usain Bolt wins 100m gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming the first man to win the event three times.

Birthdays

John Logie Baird, UK inventor of television (1888-1946); Bryce Courtenay, Australian novelist (1933-2012); Steve Martin, US actor (1945-); Danielle Steel, US author (1947-); Gary Larson, US cartoonist (1950-); Magic Johnson, US basketballer (1959-); Sarah Brightman, UK singer, actress (1960-); Halle Berry, US actress (1966-); Mila Kunis, US actress (1983-).