Today in history
Today is Monday, February 19, the 50th day of
2018. There are 315 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date:
1408 — In England, the Northumberland Rebellion ends when Henry Percy, the first Earl of Northumberland, is defeated by Henry IV at the battle of Bramham Moor.
1499 — Florence joins a French alliance for partition
of Milan, Italy.
1618 — The Peace of Madrid is ratified, ending the
war between Venice and Austria.
1797 — Pope Pius VI, by the Treaty of Tolentino, cedes Romagna, Bologna and Ferrara to France, as Napoleon Bonaparte advances through Tyrol to Vienna.
1800 — Napoleon Bonaparte establishes himself as
the First Consul in France.
1803 — The Act of Mediation is passed in Switzerland, under which the cantons regain independence.
1807 — The British fleet forces its way through the Dardanelles to support Russia in a war against Turkey; Aaron Burr becomes the first vicepresident of the United States to be arrested, when he is charged with treason. The subsequent trial resulted in acquittal.
1878 — Thomas Edison receives a patent for his
phonograph.
1898 — The first petroldriven cars arrive in Wellington as MP William McLean attempts to import two Benz motor vehicles. They pose a problem for Customs Department staff, who can find no regulations to accept their delivery.
1915 — A combined British and French fleet attack the Dardanelles, in World War 1.
1918 — In Russia, a decree abolishing all private ownership of land, water and natural resources is issued by the Soviet Central Executive Committee.
1924 — Shah Ahmad of Persia is deposed.
1938 — A railway construction camp at Kopuawhara, north of Wairoa, is hit by a flash flood in the early hours, with the loss of 21 lives.
1942 — The first Japanese attack on the Australian mainland in World War 2 occurs when aircraft bomb Darwin and nearby military bases; 243 die, eight ships sink and 23 aircraft are destroyed. From this first raid until the last on November 12, 1943, Australia and its allies lost approximately 900 people, 77 aircraft and several ships and many military and civilian facilities were destroyed.
1945 — The battle for Iwo Jima begins in the Pacific
in World War 2.
1951 — New Zealand waterfronts are closed when employers sack all workers who refuse to work overtime; Jean Lee, Robert Clayton and Norman Andrews are hanged in Melbourne for murdering a 73yearold man. Lee is the last woman hanged in Australia.
1959 — An agreement is signed in London by Greece, Turkey and Britain for the independence of Cyprus.
1970 — It is announced that the Maui field has a substantial quantity of gas and light oil reserves suitable for petrol.
1976 — Iceland breaks off diplomatic relations with Britain after the two countries fail to agree over fishing rights in disputed waters in what became known as the Cod War.
1990 — About 500 protesters break into government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, calling for the resignation of President Ion Iliescu; the Liberal Democrat Party in Japan wins a general election under Toshiki Kaifu. 1993 — The packed passenger ferry Neptune, carrying up to 1500 people sinks in stormy seas off Haiti. Only 285 people are known to have survived.