Life in History

1866 – United States President

Andrew Johnson, right, formally declares the American Civil War over, even though fighting had stopped months earlier.

1904 – A cartoon is published in which a kiwi morphs into a moa as the All Blacks defeat Great Britain 9-3. It might be the first use of a kiwi as a national symbol.

1911 – The first commercial telegram is sent around the world by the New York Times. 1940 – New Zealand shipping company freighter Turakina is intercepted and sunk off Taranaki, with the loss of 36 lives. 1987 – Treasure hunters salvaging objects from doomed luxury liner Titanic scoop up a fortune in jewels. 1989 – Lyle and Erik Menendez shoot their parents, Jose and Kitty, to death in California.

1995 – A collision between two trains in northern India kills 358 people.

2000 – East Timor freedom fighter Jose Alexandre Gusmao surrenders command of his guerrilla army, strengthening his credentials as a civilian politician. He later becomes its first president.

2010 – Iranian and Russian nuclear technicians make final preparations to start up Iran’s first reactor after years of delays.

2013 – A court in Pakistan indicts former present and army chief Perez Musharraf on murder charges stemming from the assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Birthdays Benjamin Harrison, US president (1883-1901); Raymond Poincare, French president (1860-1934); Jim Reeves, US country singer (1923-1964); Don King, US boxing promoter (1931-); Ron Paul, US politician (1935-); Slobodan Milosevic, Serbia president (1941-2006); Robert Plant, English singer (Led Zeppelin) (1948-); Rajiv Gandhi, sixth Indian prime minister (1944-1991); Amy Adams, US actress (1974-); Demi Lovato, US singersongwriter (1992-).