Today in History

1533 – The last Incan emperor, Atahuallpa, dies by strangulation at the hands of Francisco Pizarro’s conquistadors.

1833 – Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act becomes law.

1882 – English cricketers lose to Australia on English soil for the first time. A mock obituary in the Sporting Times declares the death of English cricket, saying its ashes will be taken to Australia.

1885 – The first motorcycle, built by Gottlieb Daimler in Germany, is patented.

1895 – A meeting of breakaway northern rugby clubs in a hotel in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, marks the birth of rugby league.

1914 – New Zealand forces capture German Samoa during World War I.

1945 – British forces liberate Hong Kong from Japan.

1949 – The Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb. 1958 – George Harrison, left, joins John Lennon and Paul Mccartney in The Quarrymen, a forerunner of The Beatles.

1966 – The Beatles play their last live concert to a crowd of 25,000 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

2004 – Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima is attacked by a spectator while leading the marathon at the Athens Olympics. He finishes third.

2005 – Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans. One million people are displaced by the disaster, which caused more than 1300 deaths.

2018 – Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond resigns from the Scottish National Party amid sexual abuse allegations.

Birthdays

John Locke, UK philosopher (1632-1704); Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (1915-1982); Richard Attenborough, UK actordirector (1923-2014); John Mccain, US politician (1936-2018); James Hunt, UK racing driver (1947-1993); Lenny Henry, UK actor/comedian (1958-); Michael Jackson, US pop star (1958-2009); Rebecca De Mornay, US actress (1959-).