Today in History
1789 – French National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, proclaiming ‘‘ men are born and remain free and equal in rights’’.
1813 – French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wins his last great battle at Dresden, Germany, against a larger Austrian, Prussian and Russian force.
1904 – Foundation stone laid for Victoria University’s first building, the Hunter Building.
1911 – Serial escaper Joseph Pawelka breaks out of a Wellington prison, and is never recaptured.
1913 – Swedish engineer Gideon Sundback applies to patent allpurpose zipper.
1949 – A violent white mob prevents an outdoor concert headlined by Paul Robeson from taking place near Peekskill, New York. The concert was held eight days later.
1955 – The Guinness Book of Records debuts.
1964 – World premiere in Los Angeles of the Disney musical Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews, above.
1967 – Beatles manager Brian Epstein is found dead in his London flat from an accidental drug overdose, aged 32.
1979 – British war hero and last viceroy of India Louis Mountbatten is killed when the IRA detonates a bomb hidden on his boat off the Irish coast. His 14-year-old grandson Nicholas is also killed.
2001 – Peru’s Congress votes to lift the constitutional immunity of former President Alberto Fujimori, so that prosecutors can charge him with crimes against humanity.
2004 – Germany’s Birgit Fischer wins gold in K-4 500m and silver in K-2 500m in Athens – the first woman in any sport to win gold at six Olympics. 2008 – Barack Obama, right, is nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
2020 – An Australian terrorist is sentenced to life without parole, for killing 51 mosque worshippers in Christchurch in March 2019.
Birthdays
Man Ray, US photographer/artist (1890-1976); Sir Donald Bradman, Australian cricketer (1908-2001); Lyndon Johnson, US president (1908-73); Lady Antonia Fraser, UK author/ historian (1932-); John Morrison, NZ cricketer (1947-); Rod Davis, US-born NZ sailor (1955-); Bernhard Langer, German golfer (1957-); Jeanette Winterson, UK writer (1959-); Tom Ford, US fashion designer (1961-); Matthew Ridge, NZ league player (1968-); Michael Long, NZ golfer (1968-); Glen Osborne, All Black (1971-); Julia Deans, NZ musician (1974-); Mark Webber, Australian racing driver (1976-); Deco, Brazilian/Portuguese footballer (1977-); Helen Norfolk, NZ swimmer (1981-).