Today in history
Today is Thursday, November 16, the 320th day of 2017. There are 45 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date:
1272 — King Henry III of England, who had ruled since 1216, dies and is succeeded by his son, Edward I.
1840 — New Zealand separates from New South
Wales to become a colony in its own right.
1848 — The first meeting of the Legislative
Council of New Zealand is held in Auckland. 1869 — The Rangatira docks at the Rattray St jetty with 74 Maori prisoners convicted in Wellington of high treason and sentenced to death, which had been commuted to various terms of imprisonment at Dunedin Jail. One prisoner died within hours of his arrival.
1901 — An estimated magnitude 67.5 earthquake centred near Cheviot in North Canterbury causes the first reports of liquefaction, mainly in the Kaiapoi area. Striking at 7.45am, it caused widespread damage, especially to brick buildings, windows and chimneys. One child is killed by a falling building.
1916 — The first ballot of reservists under the
New Zealand Military Service Act is held.
1917 — Georges Clemenceau becomes prime
minister of France for a second time.
1918 — After the breakup of the AustroHungarian empire, Hungary is proclaimed an independent republic.
1920 — Australian pilots Hudson Fysh and Paul
McGinness register the company Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (Qantas).
1933 — Brazil’s President Getulio Vargas assumes dictatorial powers; the United States and the Soviet Union establish diplomatic relations.
1941 — Nazi Germany launches a second assault, which also fails, on Moscow in World War 2.
1952 — Field Marshal Papagos forms a ministry
in Greece.
1959 — The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music premieres in New York, starring Mary Martin.
1965 — More than 1000 people gather at Knight Pt in pouring rain to witness Prime Minister Keith Holyoake officially open the new Haast Pass highway.
1968 — The Soviet Union announces it has launched the world’s largest spaceship to date, the Proton Four.
1970 — Pakistani officials say the death toll in a typhoon and tidal wave that struck the Bay of Bengal may reach 500,000.
1971 — Made in 1956, JA 1274, the last steam locomotive to be built at Dunedin’s Hillside Workshops, is withdrawn from service. It is now on display at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
1988 — Voters in Pakistan cast ballots in their first open election in more than a decade, resulting in victory for populist candidate Benazir Bhutto.
1989 — South African president F. W. de Klerk announces the scrapping of the Separate Amenities Act, opening up the country’s beaches to all races.
1991 — Boris Yeltsin issues a series of decrees that effectively transfer control of his republic’s economy from Soviet central government to the Russian Federation.
1999 — Lake Wakatipu waters spill into central Queenstown during atrocious weather. The area from Queenstown Gardens through to the lower end of Beach St across Earnslaw Park is covered by 10cm of water. Wanaka is also threatened with flooding and all roads out of the town are closed. The Haast Pass highway and a number of Central Otago roads are affected by slips and swollen creeks.
2003 — Voters in Serbia and Montenegro fail for the third time to elect a president, with turnout reaching only approximately 39%.
Today’s birthdays:
Roman Emperor Tiberius (42BCAD37); Burgess Meredith, US actor (19071997); Joanna Pettet, British actress (1942); Chris Laidlaw, All Black (1943); David Leisure, US actor (1950); Andy Dalton, All Black (1951); Griff Rhys Jones, Welsh comedian (1953); Frank Bruno, British heavyweight boxer (1961); Diana Krall, Canadian jazz singer (1964); Lisa Bonet, US actress (1967); Brendan Laney, Otago and Scottish international rugby player (1973); Maggie Gyllenhaal, US actress (1977);
Kimberly J. Brown, US actress (1984);
Gemma Atkinson, British actress/model (1984).
Thought for today:
Whom God would sorely vex, He endows with abundant good sense. — Yiddish proverb.
ODT and agencies