Today in history

1586 – Walter Raleigh brings first lot of tobacco to England from Virginia.

1794 – Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, is overthrown and arrested.

1830 – July Revolution starts in Paris in reaction to restrictive policies of Charles X.

1866 – First successful trans-Atlantic telegraph cable between England and the US is completed.

1890 – Painter Vincent van Gogh, right, shoots himself near Paris. He dies of his injuries two days later.

1921 – Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolate insulin for the first time.

1949 – British De Havilland Comet, the first jet-propelled airliner, makes its maiden flight.

1953 – Armistice signed at Panmunjom, in practice ending the Korean War.

1963 – Pioneer aviator George Bolt, who took NZ’s first aerial photos, dies.

1974 – The House Judiciary Committee recommends US President Richard Nixon’s impeachment over Watergate.

1990 – English cricketer Graham Gooch hits 333 off India at Lord’s.

1996 – Pipe bomb explodes at Atlanta Olympics, killing one person and injuring 111.

2002 – At an air show in Ukraine, a fighter jet crashes into a crowd, killing 85 people.

2003 – Bob Hope, the British-born US comedy legend, dies aged 100.

2012 – Britain opens its Olympics in London, with the ceremony featuring a stunt double for the Queen parachuting into the stadium.

Birthdays

Donald Crisp, UK actor (1882-1974); Geoffrey de Havilland, UK aircraft designer (1882-1965); Charles Brasch, NZ writer/critic (1909-73); Allan Border, Australian cricketer (1955-); Christopher Dean, UK ice skater (1958-); Cliff Curtis, NZ actor (1968-); Gorden Tallis, Australian rugby league player (1973-); Alex Rodriguez, US baseball player (1975-); Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Irish actor (1977-); Jordan Spieth, US golfer (1993-).