Today in history
Today is Saturday, July 22, the 203rd day of 2017. There are 162 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date:
1298 — William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance against English rule, uses extralong spears against mounted soldiers at the Battle of Falkirk. Wallace’s use of spears is depicted in the movie Braveheart as taking place at Stirling Bridge, where he was victorious, but it was actually used at Falkirk, where he was defeated. 1793 — Scottish fur trader and explorer
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Canadian Pacific coast, becoming the first to cross the North American continent north of Mexico.
1864 — The Battle of Atlanta is fought just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, when Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman, aiming to neutralise the important rail and supply hub, defeat Confederate forces defending the city under John B. Hood. After a prolonged siege by Union forces, and various attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta, the city does not fall until September 2.
1917 — Alexander Kerensky becomes the prime minister of Russia, replacing Prince Lvov.
1933 — Unemployment in New Zealand peaks at 57,352 during the Great Depression. However, this figure inflates to more than 85,000 when youth, Maori and women are included. At the time, New Zealand’s total population was just over 1.5 million; US aviator Wiley Post completes the first solo aircraft flight around the world in seven days, 18 hours and 45 minutes.
1934 — FBI agents shoot and kill gangster John Dillinger as he leaves a theatre in Chicago.
1940 — Ballots for military service begin in New Zealand when enlistment ceases to be voluntary. The first conscription occurs in October.
1950 — King Leopold III returns to Belgium after six years of exile, but abdicates in August. His actions during World War 2 as commander in chief of the Belgian army during the German conquest aroused opposition.
1956 — Lake Roxburgh is formed when the sluice gates of the Roxburgh Dam on the Clutha River are closed. Thousands of people flock to Clutha River Valley on the chance of discovering gold in the dry riverbed, with little success.
1968 — An Israeli airliner bound for Israel from Rome with 48 people aboard is hijacked and diverted to Algeria.
1974 — Two days after invading Cyprus, Turkey accepts a UN resolution on a ceasefire.
1982 — The Rev Sun Myung Moon marries 2200 couples in New York City.
1987 — The first Lotto tickets go on sale in New Zealand, offering a firstdivision prize of almost $360,000.
1989 — A New Zealand XV plays the California Grizzlies at Lancaster Park, but the country’s first national women’s rugby team is not officially recognised by the NZRFU.
1994 — Citing an economic crisis, Venezuelan president Rafael Caldera suspends constitutional rights.
1999 — Japan’s first deadly aeroplane hijacking occurs when an unemployed man stabs the pilot to death and seizes the controls. The flight lands 49 minutes later in Tokyo, the remaining 516 people aboard uninjured. The hijacker tells police he wanted to fly a real plane.
2000 — More than 30cm of rain in South Korea causes flooding and landslips which kill eight and leave thousands homeless.
2006 — A magnitude5.1 earthquake hits a mountainous area in southwestern China, killing at least 19 people and injuring 60 as it topples homes and sets off landslips.
2011 — Centred at Dunsandel at a depth of 12km, a significant 5.1magnitude aftershock wakes Cantabrians at 5.39am, serving as a reminder that it’s not all over yet.