Today in History

1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther. 1793 – Louis XVI of France is beheaded.

1924 – Russian leader Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov), right, dies. 1936 – Edward VIII of Britain is proclaimed king after the death of his father, George V.

1944 – New Zealand and Australia sign the Canberra Pact, agreeing to co-operate on international

matters, especially in the Pacific.

1950 – Death of George Orwell (Eric Blair), author of Animal Farm and 1984.

1954 – First atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched.

1968 – Thirty-one North Korean commandos attempt to attack South Korea’s presidential palace. All but one die in gunfights; 34 South Koreans are killed.

1976 – First Concordes with commercial passengers take off simultaneously from Paris and London.

1977 – US President Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.

1990 – John McEnroe becomes the first player to be disqualified from the Australian Open, for misconduct.

1994 – Lorena Bobbitt is found innocent by reason of insanity of cutting off her husband’s penis, after she testified to years of brutal treatment.

1997 – Death of ‘‘Colonel’’ Tom Parker, the manager who helped guide Elvis Presley.

1998 – US President Bill Clinton denies reports of an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Birthdays

Christian Dior, French fashion designer (1905-57); Telly Savalas, US actor (1924-94); Benny Hill, UK comedian (1925-92); Jim Anderton, NZ politician (1938-2018); Jack Nicklaus, US golfer (1940-); Placido Domingo, Spanish tenor (1941-); Geena Davis, US actress (1956-); Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton, UK singer, (1976-).