Today in History

27BC – The title Augustus is bestowed upon Octavian, right, by the Roman Senate, effectively making him Rome’s first emperor. 1547 – Ivan IV, ‘‘the Terrible’’, is crowned Russia’s first tsar.

1605 – El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, better known as Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, is first published. 1778 – France recognises United States’ independence.

1816 – Portugal’s South American colony, Brazil, becomes a kingdom.

1917 – Germany proposes in a telegram that Mexico become its ally with a view to recovering Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The telegram is intercepted, hastening the US entry into World War I. 1919 – Prohibition begins as the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified by Congress. It was repealed in 1933. 1941 – New Zealand approves a women’s auxiliary air force to enable the RNZAF to release more men for service overseas.

1945 – Hitler takes to his bunker in Berlin, where he remains until committing suicide on April 30.

1979 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, shah of Iran since 1941, flees, paving the way for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to take power.

1991 – US and allies start pounding targets in Iraq and Kuwait after Iraq fails to meet a deadline on withdrawal from Kuwait.

2006 – Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as president of Liberia, becoming Africa’s first elected female head of state.

Birthdays

William Hall-Jones, NZ prime minister (1851-1936); Dian Fossey, US zoologist (1932-85); Susan Sontag, US writer (1933-2004); John Carpenter, US film director (1948-); Dalvanius Prime, NZ songwriter (1948-2003); Damien O’Connor, NZ politician (1958-); Sade (Helen Adu), UK musician (1959-); James May, UK TV presenter (1963-); Kate Moss, UK model (1974-).