Today in History
1735 – Sir RobertWalpole becomes the first British prime minister to occupy 10 Downing St in London. 1862 – US President Abraham Lincoln declares all slaves in rebellious states will be free from January 1, 1863. 1914 – InWorldWar I, German U-boats sink the British cruisers Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy in the North Sea, killingmore than 1400. 1927 – Gene Tunney successfully defends his world heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in Chicago.
1931 – Coalition government in NZ formed to combat Depression.
1934 – Explosion and fire kill more than 260 miners at the GresfordMine inWales.
1953 – The first four-level interchange in the world opens in Los Angeles – 32 lanes of traffic weaving in eight directions at once.
1955 – Commercial TV begins in Britain in opposition to the BBC. First ad screened is for toothpaste.
1980 – GulfWar breaks out when
Iraq invades Iran in an attempt to control the Shatt al-Arab waterway. 1985 – French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius admits that French secret agents acting under orders sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, left, in Auckland.
1994 – Sitcom Friends, left, debuts. 1999 – The US Justice Department files a massive lawsuit accusing the tobacco industry of fraud.
2010 – Declassified US documents show former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein’s inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator had no interest in partnering with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Birthdays
Anne of Cleves, German-born wife of English king Henry VIII (1515-57); Fay Weldon, UK author (1931-); Shari Belafonte, US actress (1954-); Nick Cave, Australian musician-actorauthor (1957-); Joan Jett, US rock singer (1958-); Andrea Bocelli, Italian opera singer (1958-); Martin Crowe, NZ cricketer (1962-2016); Billie Piper, UK actress (1982-).