Today in History

1630 – The fork is introduced to American dining by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts.

1678 – Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is awarded a doctorate of philosophy, the first woman to receive a PhD.

1860 – The first Ma¯ori King, Po¯tatau Te Wherowhero, a chief from Waikato, dies.

1870 – Queen Isabella of Spain abdicates in favour of Alfonso XII.

1876 – Sioux Indians rout the United States 7th Cavalry at Little Big Horn.

1903 – French scientist Marie Curie, left, announces the discovery of radium. She and husband Pierre later share the Nobel Prize for physics; she dies in 1934 from radiation poisoning.

1942 – Major General Dwight Eisenhower is appointed commander of US forces in Europe.

1949 – Long-Haired Hare is released, starring Bugs Bunny.

1950 – Korean War begins with

North Korea’s invasion of South Korea. 1975 – Mozambique becomes independent and Samora Machel is sworn in as president after 477 years of Portuguese rule. 1984 – Prince releases Purple Rain. 1996 – Independence Day, starring

Will Smith, premieres.

1998 – Elections to the new Northern Ireland assembly are held. Supporters of the Good Friday peace deal win 80 seats and those opposed to it 28.

2003 – New Zealand’s Parliament

votes to decriminalise prostitution, with the Prostitution Reform Act passing by one vote.

2009 – Michael Jackson dies at 50. Birthdays

Lord Louis Mountbatten, English naval commander and statesman (1900-1979); George Orwell, British author (1903-1950); Carly Simon, US singer (1945-); Tim Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter (1952-); Ricky Gervais, British comedian (1961-); George Michael, British singer (1963-2016).