Today in History

1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry, is executed by guillotine in France.

1886 – The first Coca-Cola, an invention of Dr John S Pemberton, is sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.

1902 – Mt Pelee, on the French West Indian island of Martinique, erupts, wiping out city of St Pierre and killing all but two of its 30,000 residents.

1916 – Forces from Australia and New Zealand arrive in France during World War I.

1945 – German forces surrender to Soviets, who did not recognise the surrender to US General Eisenhower the previous day; World War II ends in Europe.

1970 – Kiwi singer John Rowles, left, tops the New Zealand charts with Cheryl Moana Marie. 1978 – David R Berkowitz pleads guilty to the ‘‘Son of Sam’’ killings that had terrified New Yorkers. 2001 – The New Zealand government announces it is scrapping the combat wing of the air force.

2002 – New Zealand’s cricket team abandons its tour of Pakistan after a bomb near its Karachi hotel kills 12 people.

2006 – South Africa’s former deputy president Jacob Zuma is acquitted of rape in most politically charged trial since the end of apartheid.

2007 – Protestant leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness are elected to the top posts of the new powersharing government for Northern Ireland.

Birthdays

Edward Gibbon, English historian (1737-1794); Henri Dunant, Swiss founder of International Red Cross (1828-1910); Harry S Truman, US president (1884-1972); David Attenborough, British television producer and naturalist (1926–); Thomas Pynchon, US writer (1937–); Enrique Iglesias, Latin pop singer (1975–).