Today in History

1842 – Ether is used as anaesthetic for first time, by Dr Crawford Long in the United States.

1858 – The rubber-topped pencil is patented by HL Lipman, of Philadelphia, America.

1867 – US Secretary of State William Seward reaches an agreement with Russia to buy the territory of Alaska for US$7.2M, a deal ridiculed as ‘‘Seward’s Folly’’.

1870 – The 15th amendment to the US Constitution, giving black men the right to vote, is declared in effect.

1940 – Funeral procession around the streets ofwellington for Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage, who died in office on March 27.

1945 – The Soviet Union invades Austria during Worldwar II.

1980 – Floating apartment for oil workers in North Sea collapses; 123 people drown.

1981 – John Hinckley Jr shoots US President Ronald Reagan, who is wounded. Three others are wounded in the incident outside a Washington DC hotel.

1994 – The Irish Republican Army announces a three-day ceasefire and calls for direct talks with the British government.

1998 – Rolls-royce, left, is bought by German carmaker BMW for US$570 million.

2004 – NZ historian Michael King, 58, and his wife Maria Jungowska are killed in a car crash inwaikato.

2008 – A group of 200 Tibetan exiles and monks try to stormthe Chinese embassy visa office in Nepal’s capital, but police beat them back with bamboo batons. At least 130 protesters are arrested.

Birthdays

Francisco Goya, Spanish artist (1746-1828); Vincent van Gogh, Dutch artist (1853-90); Jack Cowie, NZ cricketer (1912-94); Warren Beatty, US actor (1937-); Tane Norton, All Black (1942-); Eric Clapton, UK musician (1945-), Peter Ellis, childcare worker (1958-2019); Shane Rufer (NZ footballer (1960-); MC Hammer, US rapper (1962-) Tracy Chapman, US musician (1964-); Piers Morgan, UK journalist (1965-); Celine Dion, Canadian singer (1968-); Norah Jones, US musician (1979-).