Today in History

1767 – Pitcairn Island is discovered by midshipman Robert Pitcairn, who was aboard the British sloop HMS Swallow.

1863 – The Battle of Gettysburg ends in failure for Confederate soldiers, a decisive loss in the American Civil War.

1963 – A National Airways Corp DC3 crashes in the Kaimai Range in fierce winds, killing 23 people.

1969 – Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, left, is found dead, from an apparent accidental drowning.

1970 – Australian tennis player Margaret Court beats Billie Jean King 14-12, 11-9 for her third and final Wimbledon singles title. 1971 – Singer Jim Morrison of The Doors dies in Paris aged 27. 1976 – Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg wins the first of his five straight Wimbledon titles. 1985 – Back to the Future is released in movie theatres. 1988 – A United States Navy cruiser shoots down an Iranian passenger jet that it mistakes for a hostile aircraft, killing 290 people.

2012 – Andy Griffith, of the television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, dies aged 86. 2015 – Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh, 55, is stabbed to death at his home in South Australia. His 26-year-old son is charged with his murder.

Birthdays

Sir A¯ pirana Ngata, New Zealand politician (1874-1950); Gloria Allred, US lawyer and feminist (1941-); Ewen Chatfield, NZ cricketer (1950-); Sir Richard Hadlee, NZ cricketer (1951-); Tom Cruise, US actor (1962-); Nigel Latta, NZ psychologist and TV presenter (1967-); Audra McDonald, US actress (1970-); Julian Assange, Australian founder of Wikileaks (1971-); Paul Rauhihi, NZ rugby league player (1973-); Olivia Munn, US actress (1980-); Harbhajan Singh, Indian cricketer (1980-); Sebastian Vettel, German racing driver (1987-); Winston Reid, NZ footballer (1988-).