Today in History

622 – Prophet Mohammad completes Hegira (flight) from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution.

1789 – The Judiciary Act passes Congress, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices to serve until death or retirement.

1890 – The Mormon Church officially renounces the practice of polygamy.

1905 – Lionel Terry, a paranoid schizophrenic obsessed with NZ’s racial purity, shoots and kills Joe Kum

Yung in Haining St, Wellington.

1917 – Ten NZ soldiers die after being hit by a train on a rail line in Devon, southwest England, due to confusion arising from an unscheduled stop. 1957 – Jailhouse Rock released by Elvis Presley.

1988 – Canadian Ben Johnson sets a world record of 9.79 seconds to win the 100m sprint gold medal at the Seoul Olympics. He is later stripped of the medal for taking drugs.

1991 – UN Security Council unanimously orders a worldwide arms embargo against Yugoslavia and all warring factions there; Theodor Geisel (Dr Seuss) dies, aged 97.

1993 – Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos is convicted of corruption and sentenced to at least 18 years in jail.

1995 – First broadcast of the BBC TV adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, left, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.

2002 – UK publishes controversial dossier on Iraq’s weapons programme, which claims Saddam Hussein can launch a weapon of mass destruction at 45 minutes’ notice.

2003 – NZ broadcaster Paul Holmes refers to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a ‘‘cheeky darkie’’ on radio. 2009 – Death of entertainer Sir Howard Morrison, aged 74.

Birthdays

Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (1725-1803); F Scott Fitzgerald, US author (1896-1940); Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian politician (1902-89); Jim Henson, US puppeteer (1936-90); Don Brash, NZ politician (1940-); Gerry Marsden, UK singer (1942-); Liam Finn, NZ singer (1983-); Eleanor Catton, NZ writer (1985-); Todd Astle, NZ cricketer (1986-).