Today in History

1861 – Tsar Alexander II, right, abolishes serfdom in Russia.

1878 – American inventor Thomas Edison receives a patent for his phonograph.

1881 – Kansas becomes the first US state to prohibit all alcoholic drinks.

1938 – A flash flood at Kopuawhara, near Mahia, on the North Island’s east coast, kills 21 people as heavy rain sends a wall of water through a public works camp.

1942 – Japanese aircraft attack Darwin and nearby military bases, killing 243, sinking eight ships and destroying 23 aircraft.

1945 – US Marines invade the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in World War II. 1985 – Eastenders premieres on

the BBC.

1986 – The US Senate approves a treaty outlawing genocide, 37 years after the pact had first been submitted for ratification.

1993 – A packed ferry carrying up to 1500 people sinks off Haiti; only 285 are known to have survived.

1997 – Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping dies in Beijing aged 92.

2004 – Britain awards an honorary knighthood to Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal in recognition of a ‘‘lifetime of service to humanity’’.

2006 – Israel freezes the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money to the Palestinians in its first response to the takeover of the Palestinian parliament by the militant group Hamas.

2010 – Golfer Tiger Woods apologises on TV for his marital infidelities and admits to ‘‘selfish’’ and ‘‘foolish’’ behaviour.

Birthdays

Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (1473-1543); David Garrick, UK actor (1717-79); Lee Marvin, US actor (1924-87); William ‘‘Smokey’’ Robinson, US musician (1940-); Amy Tan, US novelist (1952-); Murray McCully, NZ politician (1953-); Prince Andrew of Britain (1960-); Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican actor (1967-); Kosta Barbarouses, NZ footballer (1990-).