Today in History

1429 – French forces, inspired by Joan of Arc, right, lift the siege of Orleans in the Hundred Years War. 1660 – English Parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II. 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 West Indian island of Martinique, erupts, wiping out city of St Pierre and killing all but two of its 28,000 residents.

1945 – German forces surrender to Soviets, who did not recognise the previous day’s surrender to US General Eisenhower; VE Day is celebrated in Britain and the US.

1970 – John Rowles tops the New Zealand charts with Cheryl Moana

Marie, which went on to sell 1m copies worldwide.

1978 – David Berkowitz pleads guilty to the ‘‘Son of Sam’’ killings that had terrified New Yorkers.

1980 – World Health Organisation announces eradication of smallpox.

1984 – Soviet Union announces a boycott of Los Angeles Olympics.

2001 – New Zealand government scraps the air force combat wing.

2002 – New Zealand’s cricket team abandons tour of Pakistan after a bombing near its Karachi hotel.

2007 – Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein deputy Martin McGuinness are elected to head a new power-sharing government for Northern Ireland.

2018 – President Donald Trump withdraws the US from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal.

Birthdays

Edward Gibbon, UK historian (1737-94); Henri Dunant, Swiss founder of Red Cross (1828-1910); Harry Truman, US president (18841972); David Attenborough, UK naturalist (1926-); Thomas Pynchon, US writer (1937-); Graham Henry, All Blacks coach (1946-); Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer (1993-).