Today in History

1852 – French inventor Henri Giffard makes the first flight in a powered airship, cruising with steam power over Paris.

1869 – Thousands of businesses are ruined in a Wall Street panic. 1917 – Ten New Zealand soldiers are killed after being hit by a train on a British railway, following confusion arising from an unscheduled stop.

1988 – Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, left, sets a world record of 9.79 seconds to win the men’s 100m sprint gold medal at the Seoul Olympics. He is later stripped of the medal for taking drugs.

1990 – East Germany formally withdraws from Warsaw Pact.

1991 – UN Security Council unanimously orders worldwide arms embargo against Yugoslavia and all warring factions there.

1993 – Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos is convicted of corruption and sentenced to at least 18 years in jail.

2002 – Britain publishes controversial dossier on Iraq’s weapons programme, which claims Saddam Hussein can launch a weapon of mass destruction at just 45 minutes’ notice.

2003 – New Zealand broadcaster Paul Holmes triggers an uproar after calling United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan a "cheeky darkie" during a radioshow tirade.

2009 – The death of New Zealand entertainer Sir Howard Morrison, aged 74.

2012 – The attempt to extradite alleged internet pirate Kim Dotcom from New Zealand to the United States is shaken by revelations he had been spied on illegally by NZ.

Birthdays

F Scott Fitzgerald, US writer (1896-1940); Don Brash, NZ economist, politician (1940-); Linda McCartney, US-born musician (1941-1998); Gerry Marsden, British singer (1942-); Liam Finn, New Zealand musician and songwriter (1983-).