Today in history
Today is Tuesday, February 26, the 57th day of 2019. There are 308 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date:
1623 — The Dutch massacre English colonists at
Amboyna, Indonesia.
1797 — The Bank of England issues £1 notes for
the first time.
1815 — Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from the island of Elba to begin his second conquest of France.
1832 — The Polish Constitution is abolished by
Russia’s Tsar Nicholas I.
1839 — The Grand Liverpool Steeplechase is held at Aintree Racecourse, England, attracting a field of 17 horses. The race, which was won by ninetoone favourite Lottery, was converted to a handicap race in 1843 and renamed the
Grand National in 1847.
1848 — The second French Republic is proclaimed, two days after the abdication of
King LouisPhilippe.
1852 — The British troopship HMS Birkenhead sinks off Simons Bay, South Africa, with the loss of 485 lives. The chivalry of the soldiers on board gave rise to the unofficial ‘‘women and children first’’ protocol when abandoning ship.
1892 — Cargill’s Castle, situated on the hill overlooking St Clair, is gutted by fire. The property, with a value of £17,000, was insured for only £2200.
1915 — Flamethrowers are used in battle for the
first time when the 3rd Guard German Pioneer Regiment uses them against the French at Malancourt.
1935 — Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is
first demonstrated by Robert WatsonWatt.
1938 — After construction lasting almost 30 years, the Summit Road over the Port Hills near Christchurch is officially opened.
1952 — Winston Churchill announces that Britain
has produced its own atomic bomb.
1980 — New Zealand fast bowler Richard Hadlee scores 103 against a powerful West Indian attack for his maiden test century during the drawn second test in Christchurch. The match is most remembered for the sitdown strike of the West Indian side and its hostilities directed at umpire Fred Goodall; Egypt and Israel establish diplomatic relations, marking the end of 30 years of war between the two nations.
1986 — New Philippines president Corazon Aquino asks supporters of the deposed leader Ferdinand Marcos for their cooperation in the task of rebuilding the country. 1989 — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini meets Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze for talks centring on Islam.
1993 — Australian captain Allan Border becomes the highest runscorer in test cricket when he hits 88 during his side’s victory in the first test against New Zealand in Christchurch. Border overtook Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 10,122 test runs. Border ended his career with 11,174 runs from 156 tests; a bomb explosion at the World Trade Centre in New York City kills six and injures 1000.
1995 — Averting a major trade war, China and the United States sign an agreement mandating Chinese respect for copyrights, trademarks and patents; London finance house Barings collapses after losses run up in Singapore by trader Nick Leeson.
1996 — A Sudanese military plane crashes in
Sudan, killing all 70 passengers and crew.
1998 — A Texas jury rejects a $US11 million
lawsuit brought by Texas cattlemen who blamed Oprah Winfrey’s television talk show for a price fall after a segment on food safety that included a discussion about mad cow disease. 2012 — Bret McKenzie, one half of the Flight of the Conchords, wins the best original song Oscar for Man or Muppet.
Today’s birthdays:
Victor Hugo, French author (18021885); Levi Strauss, Germanborn clothing manufacturer (18291902); William F.Cody (Buffalo Bill), US frontier scout (18461917); George (Neville) Hill, New Zealand Olympic middledistance runner (18911944); Sir Leslie Munro, New Zealand lawyer/politician (19011974); Jackie Gleason, US actor/entertainer (19161987); Fats Domino, US singer (19282017); Johnny Cash, US singer (19322003); Peter Brock, Australian racingcar driver (19452006); Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand (1950); Michael Bolton, US singer (1953); Greg Germann, US actor (1958); Sebastien Loeb, French rally driver (1974); Rico Gear, All Black (1978).